Dirty Laundry
by tce13
Summary: "That's my dryer! And my clothes!" He finally glanced down at the last bundle of clothes he was holding. "Really? I don't see you as a black lace type of girl." Zach and Cammie met over a laundry room battle. She doesn't want to see him again but will their paths keep crossing? No spies, takes place at Georgetown. Disclaimer: I do not own the Gallagher Girls characters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I'm not always a fan of the non-spy AUs, but I really liked this idea. So yeah, they're not spies but regular college students at Georgetown. As much as I love writing in other POVs I think this one will be strictly Cammie's. So here's the first chapter! Let me know if I should continue.**

Dirty Laundry

Chapter One

Focus Cammie. _The heart has four chambers that transfer blood through the body_. The dryer kept shaking louder and louder. _The right ventricle sends blood to the lungs._ A basket on top of the dryer was shaking towards the edge about to fall off. Just one more minute and that cycle would be done. I studied the image of the structure of the heart hoping it would be committed to memory. I had a bio test tomorrow and I was planning on spending the night studying from the comfort of my dorm room. What I had not planned on was an over flowing laundry basket and an empty sock drawer.

Laundry day was always my least favorite for a few reasons.

1\. I was stuck in the laundry room for at least two hours so my clothes wouldn't be taken out of a machine the second the cycle is over. I speak from experience.

2\. As mentioned, it's loud in there. Like can't even be drowned out with headphones, loud.

3\. Vending machine food. If you're in there for a while you're bound to start thinking those Peanut M&M's look great. No matter how many packs are in your room you still find yourself pressing G6.

And finally the worst reason of all:

4\. No matter what, my laundry day clothes always happens to be my worn Gallagher Track shirt and I always, always, ALWAYS end up having a cute guy sit next to me in class. No one can look attractive in a t-shirt with their hair in a bun. Not even the cute messy bun either.

So there I was, at eleven at night, cramming any information about the circulatory system into my brain while the dryers kept shaking and I finished off my M&M's. Even though it was late at night on a Wednesday, all of the dryers were taken. I had my eye on a dryer that had one minute left and debated whether or not it would be rude to take their clothes out if I folded them. Just as I decided that it wouldn't be rude the owner came to take their clothes. I jumped from the counter and threw my wet clothes in as fast as I could. An open dryer was like a beacon for college kids and I had to pounce before it was gone.

Just as my last sock was thrown in I fished in my pocket for the six quarters.

"Shit!" Four quarters that's all that was in my pocket. "Damn M&M's."

The laundry room was empty so surely no one would come and steal the dryer. My clothes were in it! I grabbed my room key and ran back to my room. Thank god I'm on the first floor. As soon as I burst through the door I was greeted by my roommate Bex doing yoga in the living room.

"Woah what's the rush, Flash?" I didn't pause to talk though. Instead I grabbed the stack of quarters I always keep on my desk for this day.

"Need two quarters! Can't talk!" Before she could even get out of downward dog I was back down the hall. I started running through the lobby but not before I was reprimanded by the snotty RA that takes their job way too seriously.

"No running in the lobby!" I was forced to slow my pace to a powerwalk as I swung the laundry room door open. I came to a complete halt out of shock. I was gone for one minute. ONE MINUTE! And there someone was moving all of my wet clothes from the dryer that I staked out for an hour! He was still leaning into the dryer moving my clothes before I shouted, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

He emerged from the dryer with my favorite bra in his hands.

"Uhm laundry?" He sounded so nonchalant about the fact that he was moving my clothes from the dryer.

"That's my dryer! And my clothes!" He finally glanced down at the last bundle of clothes he was holding.

"Really? I don't see you as a black lace type of girl." I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. He had a smirk on his face as I snatched my bra from him and threw it back into the dryer.

"I waited for that dryer! It's mine."

"Unless it's running, it's fair game." He threw a pair of his shorts in there, never breaking eye contact with me. I moved closer so that I could reach the rest of my clothes. I couldn't help but notice how tall he was. My eyes reached about his shoulder and I had to look up to make eye contact. I reached around him to throw another bundle of my clothes in the dryer. He smirked and reached around me to throw more of his clothes in. We were only about three inches away now and the battle was on.

"Look," he glanced down at my shirt, "Gallagher Girl. I could do this all day but the dryer is going to get full and then it's not going to work. So if you could just take your clothes out and wait for another dryer that would be great." Who does he think he is?  
"No way! I waited for this dryer fair and square. If anyone is waiting it's you." He was already moving to take clothes out. I felt a smile tugging at my lips, guess I won that one. I was starting to put a quarter in before I realized he was taking my clothes back out!

"Stop!" He just looked up at me like he already won the fight and wasn't going to let me argue anymore.

"I can't wait. I have practice starting at 5 am tomorrow and if I have to wait then it will be well after midnight before this is all done." He shut the door triumphantly and threw in the five other quarters. He was already turning to walk away.

"You owe me a quarter then." He turned and flipped his extra quarter at me and started for the door again.

"See you in an hour." He smirked before leaving me fuming. I gripped the quarter and just scowled at the dryer I waited so long for. I looked at the other dryers, figuring out how much longer I would be in here. 15 minutes until the next one is finished. I moved toward it and sat right on top of it, claiming my spot. I would not be losing another dryer.

When the owner of the dryer came they looked at me like I was insane. I didn't make eye contact though; I just sat on top of the dryer with a scowl on my face. They quickly gathered their freshly laundered clothes and ran away. I threw my clothes in with more force than necessary and almost broke the dial off when I started the dryer.

I threw my biology book into my backpack and stormed back through the halls.

 _Stupid boy. With his stupid smirk. I want to kill him!_

I was trying to jam my key into the lock but it missed and the keys dropped to the floor. "Argh!" I let out a cry of frustration. Bex opened from the door curious of the cry. My face was hot but she just smiled at me.

"Cam, what's the matter honey?" I pushed past her into the apartment and threw my bag into my room. Macey was already painting her nails on the living room floor. Bex sat on one end of the couch and I threw myself face first into the other. I was mumbling unintelligent curses into the pillow. If I had any other roommate I might feel self conscious thinking they would call the loony bin on me, but Bex was different. I only met her a month ago when we found out our room assignments but we were fast friends. In only a month there has been five occasions when I've found Bex cursing into a phone at whatever boy attempted to cross her. I some how knew that she would understand my antics.

I gave one last scream and hand gesture before collecting myself enough to have a conversation. When I looked up Bex and Macey were giving me curious stares.

"Alright. What happened?"

Then I just let it all pour out. From the stupid shaking dryer to the quarter he flipped at me. They were silent but Macey had an amused smirk on her face. I was on my feet pacing back and forth.

"And then I just…UGH!" I screamed into the pillow again.

"Well first of all," Bex was the first to speak, "you are totally a black lace kind of girl." I rolled my eyes.

"But really Cam, you're too nice when it comes to laundry room etiquette."

"Laundry room etiquette?" Is that even a thing?

"Yeah," Macey responded as if it were the most obvious rule in the world. "In college there is no etiquette. If someone is taking too long, you throw their clothes out."

"You're taking that asshole's side," I exclaimed in disbelief. My own friend from high school took his side!

"I'm not taking sides. You just need to be more aggressive in the laundry room."

"Yeah. Show him you are a black lace kind of girl." Bex winked before retreating to her room. Macey just continued painting her toes a bright red. For as long as I had known Macey McHenry, yes that McHenry, her signature nail color had always been red. Of course back in high school we always thought red was a sexy color and meant we were bad girls. Now I think she just picks red because she knows her mother despises the way it stains your nails.

"Cam, I haven't seen you this worked up since you found out about DeeDee."

DeeDee. Just hearing her name made my face tighten.

"That's like comparing sharks and tigers." I started rummaging through her polish collection to find a shade.

"Yeah. DeeDee was definitely a shark." She rolled her eyes, "A manhunting shark."

I found my go to polish, a light pink with a hint of gold. It was a neutral, made to blend in, a lot like me. Macey eyed my choice and started searching for something else.

"The point is, I'm proud of you. You finally stood up to someone and didn't pretend that everything was ok. You're really growing up Cam. College is where you decide who you are." She held out a dark purple polish toward me.

"So what kind of girl are you going to be Cam?"

I had thirty minutes to decide. Was I going to be the nice girl who still believed laundry room etiquette existed, or was I going to be Cammie; owner of black lace bras and purple nail polish.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

 **A/N: Wow! Thank you so much for all of the reviews! So just a disclaimer, there may be mentions of sororities/fraternities and I have very little knowledge on them. So if there is a detail that is incorrect, I apologize. I have nothing against the greek system. In other news, here's chapter two! (Sorry for my Percy followers. I will try to get an update soon.)**

I didn't try to get revenge on the dryer stealer. After painting my nails I remembered that I absolutely did have other responsibilities, like that bio test that I should have been studying for. I flipped through my notes for the fifth time that night before dragging my empty basket back to the laundry room. This time my dryer was being hovered over by a small blonde roommate. Luckily for her, it was my roommate.

"Hey Liz." She looked startled that someone was walking toward the dryer. She smiled relieved when she saw it was just me.

"Hey Cammie. Is this your dryer?" I started scooping my clothes out of it.

"One of them." I muttered under my breath. Her eyebrows furrowed together questioningly but she let the comment slide.

"I was just about to fold it but I thought it would be rude." Finally someone else understands the laundry room etiquette.

"What are you doing here so late Liz?" I saw her open organic chemistry book and about a hundred colored note cards scattered on the same counter I had occupied an hour earlier.

"I just got back from the labs and was reviewing my notes from today."

Of course she was. Liz was the smartest freshman on campus. Even though it was only her first year some how she was already taking sophomore and some junior level classes. She turned back to her notes and her fingers were tracing the hexagons of chemical structures in the air.

"Don't wear yourself out. Your brain might explode with all that knowledge." She was broken out of her trance and smiled at me.

"Are you kidding? This is the fun part!" She turned her dryer on and went back into whatever was on the inside of her head. She probably had a lot of little Liz's running around conducting experiments. I left her to her own space and started my way towards the door. But I did make sure to pause in front of that dryer to see someone else had a new cycle going. Just missed him.

I dragged my laundry back to my room and threw open my book again. Maybe seeing Liz so concentrated gave me that motivation to keep studying. I turned to the review questions for the chapter and started reading. I got through the first question correctly and felt confident. I was going to ace this test.

 _Question 2. The aorta transfers blood…._ The words were getting blurry and my face was getting closer to the page. _It's B._

"Cam." I felt someone shake my shoulder.

I glanced down to where my face was resting on the book. I glanced at the answer for question 2. D. Damn.

"Cam. Why don't you go to bed?" I don't know who said it. Maybe Liz? Or Bex? I just remember stumbling to my room and grabbing one of my fresh t-shirts to sleep in. It was still warm and smelled great. What kind of detergent did I use this time? I'll figure it out in the morning. And then I slept.

I felt something land across my head and opened my eyes to see floral print.

"Uhm." I reached up and removed a scarf that landed on me. I wish I could say that was the only thing that was thrown all over our room. In the middle of it all I saw Bex and Macey tearing through Bex's closet.

"Uh guys?" Finally Bex noticed the mess they had made.

"Oh sorry to wake you Flash." She took the scarf from my hand and continued eyeing clothes.

"What are you doing?" My voice still sounded groggy. Macey just held up a green dress and a pair of pumps as if eyeing if they matched. She discarded the dress to the floor.

"Rush week is coming up and we're trying to find the perfect first day outfit. It's a tea party in the garden." My face scrunched up. They were planning on rushing, but nothing sounded worse than tea in a garden.

I was slightly irritated but who wouldn't be when my whole closet got raided at, I glanced at my clock. 7:00 am!

"Do you guys have to do this right now? It's only Thursday. You have two days to decide."

Macey just ignored me and pushed the shoes towards Bex, "Try these on with your red sundress."

"I don't have a red sundress." Then Macey turned to me.

"Can Bex borrow your red sundress?" She was already searching through the closet for it before I could even say yes. "Where is it?"

"Sure." I was out of bed searching through my now clean clothes for it. Before I could pull it out from the bottom I heard Bex quip, "Nice PJs."

What was she talking about? We had been suitemates for a month she knew what my PJs looked like.  
Macey turned and took the dress from me, "Who's 'Goode'?"

I finally looked down at the shirt I had slept in and saw it was bigger than my others. The front displayed "Blackthorne Soccer" and I was sure that I had never seen this shirt before. Suddenly I was turning in a circle to see the back of it before realizing I was getting no where besides making myself dizzy. I pulled it off and flipped it over. Sure enough the back had "Goode" at the top and had the number 22.

"Who's shirt is this?" I was thoroughly confused on how this shirt ended up on me.

"Wow Cam. What did you do last night?" Macey smirked at the shirt.

"Definitely black lace material."

Then a thought came rushing to me and I got mad. I threw the shirt on the ground.

"It's that stupid boy's shirt. The dryer stealer!" I didn't mean to yell, but it must have woken Liz up. She came shuffling into our room in her pinkest nightgown.

"What's going on? Cammie why are you standing in your sports bra?" I huffed and grabbed one of my shirts. I threw the boys shirt at her and she analyzed it with scientist eyes.

"Why do you have a guys shirt?" Then her eyes went wide, "Cammie did you sleep with him?"

"No. I didn't sleep with anyone." I could hear the annoyance in my voice. I paint my nails purple and all of a sudden my roommates think I'm easy. "That's the shirt from the guy last night. It must have gotten mixed up when he took my clothes out."

"Well you have to give it back. If you don't then that makes you a shirt stealer."

"I don't know how to give it back. I don't want to see him." I thought that point was obvious last night. Liz just flipped the shirt over and kept examining it.

"Well we know he plays soccer. And his last name is Goode. Most likely a freshman if he was using the laundry room in the dorms." She held the shirt up and looked through the neck hole, "And it's safe to say he's probably over six-foot."

"Sounds like a hottie." Bex was imagining what the owner looked like. I had seen him and I admit, he was pretty cute. I was toe to toe with him and he smelled like that laundry detergent that lured me to sleep last night. So yeah, he looked and smelled good but that was canceled out by his asshole nature. I shook my head and held up my hand to stop Bex's theoretical description of his abs.

"It doesn't matter. The point is I'm not going to go out of my way to find him. If he really missed it, he knew where to find me." Macey gave a nod in approval. It seemed reasonable, but leave it to Liz to think of all the possibilities.

"It could be a shirt that was passed down for generations. Or a lucky jersey! Maybe he was coming back to look for it but since he didn't have the shirt he immediately got bad luck and fell down the stairs!" She was starting to go into the that shirt is what's keeping the universe from falling apart theory. But even she said that only had a 0.02% chance of being true.

"What if that shirt is worth a lot of money and he needs it so a mob doesn't come after him?"

"Until I start seeing posters for a lost shirt, I'm not going to worry."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **A/N: Thank you so much for the love! This one is a short chapter but I will try to update soon.**

"Cam!" Bex collapsed onto her bed with her hand held to her forehead in the more dramatic pose of a lovestruck girl.

"I've found the man of my dreams."

I grimaced at my biology book. I made a 72 on my test yesterday and really needed to review what went wrong. But one look at Bex that was demanding my full attention meant biology would have to wait. I closed my book and straightened up on my bed.

"Continue." I gave a wave of my hand as if starting the film role for the latest episode of Bex not Rebecca.

Her hands went to her heart as if it were going to burst.

"Oh Cam. He's in my freshman orientation class and sits in the row behind me."

"And you didn't notice him before?" This made her recoil slightly.

"I was too distracted by that jerk Jason."

Ah Jason, Bex's first college crush. She came rushing into the main room and gathered us all around and told us about his long, but not too long, brown hair. And she spent almost a whole ten minutes describing the way he spoke and how that meant he would fit right in if they ever went to London together. I guess she got that right. Jason was very into British girls, especially Lilian. The last time we heard about Jason was the thirty minute phone call of her saying he was scum that should count himself lucky if she ever even glanced at him again.

"Okay. So why did you notice him now?"

Even after Jason there were still four other guys that ended up catching her attention.

"His friend threw a pencil at me." I thought she was joking at first but the dreamy look in her eyes proved that there was nothing funny about the situation to her.

"Wow. It sounds like a real prince charming Bex. Instead of a glass slipper it was a number two pencil that was launched at you from the lowly servant."

She noted the sarcasm in my tone and pushed herself up from her very sleeping beauty like pose. She grabbed her pillow and cradled it like we were at a sleepover. I don't know how many times I've been in that same position at Gallagher.

"You're no fun Cam." Despite her words she was still smiling. Even she must have heard how silly it sounded. "It's not about the pencil being thrown at me. His friend told me that Grant has been staring at me for two weeks now and wanted my number." Ok it actually did sound like an interesting story now.

"And what did Grant have to say while all of this was happening."

Bex held back a laugh but she had a blush creeping on her cheeks. "He turned really red and buried his face in his hands. Once I turned to look at him though he smiled at me and, Cam, I know I've said it before but this guy really does have the most dazzling smile."

"Did he talk to you or is he a mute with a dazzling smile?" She threw her pillow at me and I couldn't hold back my smile.

"Yes we talked and we walked around the quad and he took me to get frozen yogurt." Uh oh. Frozen yogurt already. This must be serious.

"Cammie, he really is a great guy. I know I just met him but we can just talk about anything."

"Anything?" Really how much could you talk about in two hours.

"Yes anything. Somehow I told him about my childhood celebrity crush and he got me to sing the Backstreet Boys using my spoon as a mic. I really have never had so much fun." She went back to her sleeping beauty pose and I couldn't blame her. Frozen yogurt and Backstreet Boys is pretty swoon worthy. Her mind was made up about him. There was really only question left to ask.

"So when are you seeing him again?"

I guess it wasn't the right question because her dreamy gaze faded and she sat up again.

"I'm not sure. We're both starting rush week tomorrow and that is usually pretty busy. We didn't really plan again. He just said, 'We should do this again sometime'" I could see her mind turning. I doubt guys go through this much thought after a date.

"Do you have his number?" Her face brightened.

"Yes. But do you think texting him first seems too desperate? What if he doesn't want to talk to me?" I think Liz was starting to rub off on her because she started pacing. Unlike Liz I knew that if she got worked up enough, she would start throwing things. I hopped off the bed and put myself in her path. She didn't even notice I was there until I put my hands on her shoulder.

"Bex, look at me. He likes you, his own friend said it. And you can text him first. You are a confident British princess that doesn't need to wait for a guy." Her face scrunched up.

"Princess? Gross."

"How about Duchess then?" She made a face but didn't really protest. She just sat back on her bed and looked at her phone, fingers hovering. Then she tossed it down and started walking away.

"I'll make him wait a little longer. You want to go out tonight?" She was already looking through our closet for something bar ready. Yeah going out didn't sound horrible but the biology book was still glaring up at me.

"Not tonight." She just gave me that look that Macey used to give me when I didn't want to go out after breaking up with Josh.

"Cam, this is the time to do stupid things. Are you going to remember the nights that you stayed in studying?"

"I'll remember them when the test comes." She rolled her eyes. Bex was a good student but she definitely embraced the college life.

"I'll come next time. No matter when it is."

Bex stuck her head out the door, "Macey did you hear that? Cammie says she will come out with us no matter what." She turned back to me smiling. "Do we need to seal this in blood or is your word enough?"

I held my hand up and crossed my heart.

"You have my word."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Seriously, I cannot thank you all enough for the reviews. This chapter is getting a little more into Cammie's backstory (mostly the same as in the books). Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

I love weekends at Georgetown. The studious get extra lab time (that's where Liz spent her Saturday mornings). The socialites get to spend the night out on the town without worry of morning classes (that's usually Macey). But mainly the regular students who use the weekend to catch up on sleep, maybe some TV, get to sleep until ten. All of this happens on a regular weekend, but this was not a regular weekend for a select group of freshmen.

Although Bex tried to be quiet this morning in preparation for the garden tea party, Bex has a tendency to curse when applying makeup.

"Bloody liquid eyeliner. Who invented this stuff?"

"That would be the Egyptians," I mumbled from my pillow. Unfortunately for Bex she didn't expect to hear me and the bloody eyeliner smudged. She cursed again before grabbing the q-tip and fixing the blunder.

"I didn't know you were awake."

Her hand was shaking as she carefully glossed and lined her lips.

"What kind of roommate would I be if I didn't send you off for your important day?"

She started to relax and was carefully smoothing any fly aways.

"I'm a little nervous about today."

That was obvious from the hour long yoga meditation last night. Yoga was always a stress reliever for Bex, but I had never seen her look so tense.

"You don't have anything to worry about. They would have to be idiots to pass up on you."

"I don't look silly do I?" I doubt Bex could ever look silly. She has the aura of confidence that would make anyone feel inferior.

"Of course not. I've never seen that sundress look so good."

Any time I wear that sundress, I look like I'm ready for a fourth of July picnic on the ranch. But on Bex it looked like she could dine with the queen.

"You don't give yourself enough credit Cam."

I know she was trying to pump up my ego, but I really didn't need it. I was comfortable with who I was. I may not have been an exotic beauty like Bex, or have supermodel legs like Macey. Or even have the fairy vibe like, Liz (she really could rock a bob). But I never felt bad about myself. I was always Cammie, average girl next door.

I just grabbed the pumps that her and Macey agreed on and handed them to her.

"You're going to be great."

She was putting on the pumps while I grabbed for my running shoes.

"Sorry I woke you up."

Sure it was seven in the morning on a Saturday, about three hours too early. But I could still use that time. And if I started my routine now, I could fit in an extra hour of TV time.

"I'm just going to get an early start. Besides I've never seen Georgetown this early on a Saturday."

"You're not missing much. See you tonight Flash."

Bex was wrong about one thing. Georgetown was beautiful at this time. The early birds and the night owls mixed together around campus. Some mingled at the tables outside drinking coffee and talking about their week. I imagine the Macey and Liz have had this type of coffee date on a Saturday. Seven on a Saturday, everything was peaceful. The air was still cool, birds were chirping and I could be alone with my thoughts.

This is why I run. Bex had yoga, but running was always my most pure form of stress relief. I was alone with my thoughts, my feet pounding the concrete and at times it was ok if tears fell. I started running when I was 12, that's when the tears fell every time I ran. My dad was like a ghost chasing me when I ran, and I could never outrun him. Even now he's always on my tail, but I'm faster now.

For years he was always what I thought about. Until I met Josh. He was a distraction for seven months. A beautiful distraction from the pain I felt. I could daydream of the happily ever after and always thought of what I would wear on our next date. It only took seven months before it all burned down. I guess you could say it was my fault, I ended it after all. But that still didn't stop me from running faster and farther than before. I guess it had a perk, I broke some records at Gallagher.

Today the only thing on my mind was how I was going to fail biology. I tried thinking of how the circulatory system was at work when I ran, but it just gave me a headache. I focused on my breathing and watched the shadows of the trees stretch across the trail. And then I saw a tall figure on the other side of the trail, heading back toward campus. It wasn't a race, I was just out for my morning jog, but that didn't stop me from trying to catch up. Who am I kidding? Everything always seemed like a race to me.

I changed my breathing pattern and my legs moved faster. The adrenaline coursed through me and I was only 50 yards away. He was tall and had dark hair. He wasn't sprinting, probably more of a distance runner.

20 yards. I could see one of his headphones swinging loosely. So he played music when he ran, but only in one ear. I was never one for music when I ran, it messed up my pace and made my thoughts run wild.

10 yards. I was coming up on his right side. I could see the sleeve of his shirt had writing on it. It was hard to read since his arms were constantly moving.

5 yards. He still hadn't looked back or heard my feet. His music must be louder than I thought. I could see part of his profile. Strong jaw, muscular build. And then I could read the writing. Goode.

10 yards. My steps faltered. I came to a stop almost dumbfounded that the person that I was chasing was that stupid dryer stealer. Was I checking him out? I waited for him to get some distance before I started running again. I trailed 20 yards behind him and when we got back to campus he went to the left, toward the dorms. I went back toward the main campus. I needed to run a little longer before turning back.

00000000000000

Sunday was much more peaceful. Bex and Macey came home glowing about how well the tea went and today they would be spending time with three houses doing charity work. Macey has been doing charity work since she was born, literally. Her first cover on a magazine had the headline, Baby McHenry shares stuffed animal with neighboring child. Despite what many people would say, Macey actually enjoys doing charity work. Especially working with women in bad situations.

While they were away Liz was helping me study for biology.

"Are you sure you're not too busy?"

I had seen Liz's planner and she had about a thousand things to do, including an extra credit research project. But here she was digging through her summer notebooks to find the one with the Biology written in perfect penmanship.

"I have a little free time. Besides, the experts say that if I don't know it well enough to teach it to someone, then I don't know it."

Flipping through her notebook there were so many sidenotes and links to other sources and about fourteen different colors.

"Why are there so many colors?"

"Oh," she blushed, "I have a system. All the green highlights are respiratory system, pink is circulatory, blue is digestive. There's a key in the back of the book."

In the back there was a key with every color, symbol and font had a meaning.

"So this phrase here with two dots next to it, highlighted in blue, means that was a test question?"

"Yes. And since it is underlined that means it was an essay question."

"Liz. You're pretty amazing."

She blushed, "Thank you. Some people made fun of it over the summer."

"I doubt that they made an A in the class, as an 18 year old."

She smiled to herself. "No he didn't. In fact I'm going to be his TA if he takes organic chemistry next semester." Ah the sweetest revenge.

"Liz. You're pretty scary too." She just smiled. She could take over the world if she wanted to. Luckily, she uses her brains for good.

"Live by this and you shall pass. If you need extra help I can help you every Sunday."

"Thanks Liz. I this will help a lot."

She looked at her watch and was already slipping on her backpack.

"I have to meet with Professor Smith. He's helping me with the history of influenza for my research paper." She grabbed her coffee mug and was out the door. I wonder how much coffee she drinks every day. She always has the mug in her hand and it is always filled with pure black coffee. Caffeine, the most addictive drug of all.

My phone rang, breaking me away from Liz's notebook. I looked at the time, two o'clock. Right on time for mom's Sunday phone call.

"Hey, mom."

"Hey, kiddo. How was your week?"

"It was fine. Macey and Bex started rush week yesterday, so there was a lot of outfit consulting. Oh! And Bex thinks she met her dream guy."

"I thought she said Bryce was her dream guy."

"Oh no. She said Bryce was dreamy, but not the perfect guy. She insists this is her perfect guy."

"Are they going on a date?"

"She doesn't know yet. They both have rush week so they're a little busy."

"And what about you? Any dream guys?"

Well there is dryer guy that has been haunting my dreams. But those mostly include me stealing my dryer back and pushing him into it. But I don't think that's what she meant.

"Nope."

"Ok kiddo." I hated that tone. The tone that had this hint of sadness that I would never find someone. Since we lost dad, mom has always been more into the live life for what we have. She insists that since I'm not dating a lot I'm not living my life to the fullest. I wasn't one to argue with her, but I think I'm doing just fine.

"How's school?" And just like that her headmistress voice was back. Yeah, she was the headmistress at Gallagher and that kind of put a target on my back. Dylan, Josh's best friend, always insisted that I got special treatment, which was totally untrue.

"It's fine. Liz is helping me study for biology."

"That doesn't mean she is doing your work, does it?"

"Of course not! Liz would never stand for that type of academic dishonesty."

We spent the next thirty minutes talking of everything from Gallagher to those noisy neighbors upstairs. I always enjoyed our Sunday chats, but there was always one thing that derailed everything. And every Sunday I said it.

"Tell me something about Dad."

And like every Sunday mom always responded, "He would be proud of you."

Sure, it's never actually what I want. I want to hear about how they met, how he proposed. Did he buy her flowers? Those sort of things, but mom always said those words and my throat always started to tighten. The tears didn't fall anymore like they used to. I think they had more of an affect when I was sitting on the couch with mom and she could say it to my face. But even when we were hundreds of miles away, those words were what I held on to.

And just like every Sunday, I spent the next five minutes listening to _My Girl_ , the song my dad used to spin me around the kitchen to. And I would think about how everything went so wrong so fast.

 _It was the start of summer and dad had the week off before he started teaching summer classes._

 _"Dad, I'm bored."_

 _"Bored? You can't be bored you still have two more months off of school."_

 _"Why don't we go to the circus? Would that be fun?"_

 _"I'm too old to go to the circus."_

 _"Really? I'm not_." He grinned like he was a child himself. That is what I always loved about him. When mom was too serious, he could make her smile and dance around with him. She doesn't dance much anymore.

 _"Dad! Are you ok?" He slowed down when we were walking to the car. His breathing was heavy and he gripped my shoulders._

 _"Camster. Run and get help."_

 _"I don't want to leave you!" I was searching for anyone that could help, but there was no one in the lot._

 _"I need you to run. Run back to the entrance and get the cop to come over here."_

And that's the day I started running.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews! I'll do a few shout outs at the end of this chapter. Another chapter, a new character and a surprising talent. Disclaimer: I DO NOT encourage under aged drinking, but it's a college party. Just keep that in mind and enjoy the mini cliffhanger.**

Chapter 5

"How are you wearing your hair tonight?"

Liz was curling Macey's silky mane in living room, no doubt calculating how long it would take to curl mine. There was loud music pulsing through our dorm and a mixture of perfumes swirling around. It reminded me of when we went to town at Gallagher.

"I'm just going with a fishtail braid. Nothing fancy."

It was Saturday and unfortunately I wished I never made that promise to Bex a week ago. I had a psych paper to write by tomorrow night that of course I have barely started. But I couldn't back out of this one, especially if they convinced Liz to give up her extra lab time to go.

It was an important night for Bex and Macey. Rush week was finally over and this morning they both found out they were both pledges to Alpha Kappa Lambda (the most elite on campus according to Macey). So tonight was a night of celebration at the Sigma Chi party.

It had taken two hours, but we were almost ready. Liz sprayed one more bit of hairspray into the last curl and patted Macey on the shoulder. "Done!" With all the extra spray still hanging in the air, Liz looked like an angel. She was wearing a soft white skirt that swayed any time she moved and a pink floral tank top. Lucky for us all, she was wearing a pair of flats. Liz was not the most graceful and it was going to be a long night if she was wearing heels, especially if they were as tall as Macey's. The red pumps added at least five inches to her already long legs. She was wearing a black cocktail dress that showed her figure, a classic look that also said she wasn't the good girl daughter that her parents always wanted her to be. Of course if they saw what she wore to the prom after party, no one would ever be convinced that she ever was a good girl.

I was picking and pulling at my hair to get the braid loose enough, but not too loose. It's ironic how much effort goes into making everything look effortless. Macey had called my look casual chic, but I thought I just looked like me. I had dark wash skinny jeans and a pair of combat boots. Unfortunately Bex insisted that I would look "drop dead" if I wore her smoky grey bandeau. To her dismay, I made a pretty compelling argument that the look needed something to cover up or I would just look like I was wearing lingerie. So I was allowed to wear my white flannel as long as the top buttons were open. So yeah, I looked like me with a little more oomph into my look.

I think Bex outshined us all, and not because of her outfit. Her high waisted shorts complemented her curves and her red crop top highlighted her athletic arms, but her smile was her top feature. Her smile has only grown over the past week, but tonight she absolutely glowed. I saw her smiling down at her phone and she actually giggled.

"Rebecca Baxter, was that a giggle that I heard?"

Her smile fell and she looked angry, "That was not a giggle! I don't giggle." Her smile was slowly creeping back on her face. Macey turned the music down and sat at her feet waiting for the secrets to start spilling.

"Okay I might have giggled. Grant just said he can't wait to see me."

"So he did get into Sigma Chi."

She nodded excitedly. So that's why she decided to go to that party. They had been invited to three others, but said this would be the best. Liz joined the circle at the mention of Grant. "So are you playing hard to get this time?"

"Not this time. I don't think it's worth the risk to not just dive right in. I think I really like him." She already looked like a girl in love. I remember when I felt that way, once.

"You've only known him a week. And you've only been out once."

Bex waved away my apprehension. "I know it sounds crazy, but I think we can be good together. I don't know I'll see how he feels tonight."

"What if he's your soul mate?" Liz's voice had that dreamy quality as she got sucked into their fairytale. It sounded good in theory, but I knew one thing for certain. Fairytales don't always have a happy ending.

Macey saw the look in my eyes as I was sucked into the past I wanted to say something to stop her before she got hurt, but Macey just gave me a subtle shake of the head. She stood and smoothed her dress. "Well let's not keep Prince Charming waiting."

0000000000000

Right when we got there Bex spotted Grant. As much as I hated to admit it, it was like a fairytale moment (if fairytales took place at crowded frat houses). Their eyes met, his jaw dropped at her beauty and they slowly walked toward each other. I saw him whisper, 'you look beautiful' and she blushed. His hand was brushing against hers as they disappeared into the party.

And then there were three. Liz was swooning at the moment but Macey quickly got distracted.

"Beer pong! Cammie we should totally play!"

Sure we played at Gallagher with red bull and Gatorade, but I was just ok at it. It was all fun and games then, but judging from the looks and shouting at the table I didn't think I would be as welcomed.

"Not tonight. I'll cheer you on from the sidelines but I'm not playing."

Macey pouted, "But I need a partner."

"I'll play." I looked around trying to find the stranger that said that, but I know that voice. I still couldn't believe it because there was no way Liz had just agreed to play beer pong.

"Liz? You know how to play?" Macey sounded just as disbelieved as I felt.

"Well it doesn't seem too hard. Given the amount of liquid in the cups and the elasticity of the ping pong balls, you have to hit the exact middle of the cup so that it doesn't bounce on the cup."

Macey had a cat killed the canary smile and grabbed Liz's hand. They pushed toward the table and I saw Macey raise their joined hands.

"We call next round!"

A guy with brown hair and a pastel button up gave Macey a goofy smile.

"Well well well. Macey McHenry. You've come a long way from banquet dinners and sipping koolaid from champagne glasses."

Macey then looked annoyed. That was always the look she got when people mentioned her politician's daughter life.

"I could say the same. The last time I saw you, you were chasing after me because I stole your spider man watch." There were a lot of 'oohs' and laughs from the spectators around the table. The boy noticed them and leaned across the table.

"Maybe it wasn't the watch I was after." He winked and this got a lot of hoots from the boys. Macey just shoved his chest and sneered.

"Preston, you were ten and thought I would get my cooties on your watch."

The girls in the audience applauded. It was like a reality show and they were the stars. They must have been used to it, being politician's kids.

"I'll tell you what, if you beat us, you can have your watch back."

Preston looked intrigued. "And if you win?"

Macey took a second to think, "If I win, I'll call your mom and tell her what really happened at that Fourth of July picnic." He looked scared for a moment then looked at Liz, sizing up the competition.

"Deal." They shook hands and he looked like the future politician that his parents probably raised him to be. Macey and Liz took there place on there side of the table.

"Ladies first." Preston gestured to Liz who was holding the ball. She looked a little paler than usual and her hand was shaking. Macey gave her a small nod of encouragement. Liz looked at the formation and shot. While the ball soared through the air the crowd held their breath. The only sound in the room was the splash of the ball sinking and the cheer that followed. Preston's partners face dropped and he glared at Preston.

And then there was one.

000000000000000

The party raged on and I was getting thirsty. It was too hot; I kind of regretted my convincing argument of the cover up. I tied my flannel around my waist and looked for a getaway. I snaked my way around the dancing bodies and found a door to the patio. Fresh air, that's what I needed.

I pushed out the door but the party was still continued out there. Many people were splashing in the pool and dancing on the border. It was still a little crowded, but there was at least room to breath and the air felt cooler. I walked around the border to what seemed like a bar on the other side. A girl was crying in her stool while looking at her phone. Oh boy.

"Are you okay?" She sobbed and showed me her phone. There was a picture of a puppy.

"It's just so cute." Yeah, it was a very cry worthy puppy. I patted her shoulder and reached around to grab a drink. The girl kept sobbing as she swiped to other puppy pictures. I looked around for another place to escape to and I saw a pool table with maybe five guys surrounding it. Perfect. No sobbing girls and some pretty cute guys.

I took a long drink before giving the girl one more, 'it will be okay' and strutted up to the table. It looked like there were two boys playing and the others were watching the competition even though there were four sticks. They didn't see me approach, they usually never do.

"You boys have room for one more?" It was a bold approach and four of the boys were actually stunned to silence. The competitor slipped off his pool cue when he heard me. But only two watched as the dark haired boy made his shot and sunk the striped ball into the corner pocket.

"Give me one more shot to finish-"

He turned to face me but then paused and then I was the one in silence. This couldn't be happening. He smirked and leaned against the table.

"Hey Gallagher Girl. " He looked me over and smirked again. "I guess I was wrong. You are a black lace kind of girl."

 **Shoutouts:**

 **Maria: Of course the laundry stealer had to make an appearance! Next chapter will have more of a feature.**

 **Esby: Thank you! I'm planning on a longer story. I have a few key points I know I want but there might be periods of writers block, so bear with me.**

 **Ineedaname: You're an awesome reviewer! Thank you so much!**

 **Colleen: Thank you! I always try to leave it on a good quote. Some of my chapters are shorter because of that.**

 **Volleyballer82: I don't know? Is he :P**

 **Lovewords: Thanks for being a great reviewer! We could all use Liz's notebook.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I know a fast update! This one kind of goes hand in hand with the last chapter, so it was easier to write. Unfortunately I don't really have a set update schedule and it really is when I have free time. I try to update weekly, but I hit some dry spells or I'm just really busy. So take this quick update as a peace offering for my likely longer update times in the future. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Could this moment be anymore mortifying? There he was, the smirking thief himself. And I just volunteered to play pool with him, in a glorified bra! Was it too late to run back and cry over puppies?

He just crossed his arms and the rest of the posse was snickering. It would've been the absolute death of me if I didn't regain my composure and have the guts to take the pool cue away from the gawker on the corner.

"Are we playing or what, Blackthorne Boy?"

I had the upper hand for a split second. His eyes were wide and one of his companions was oohing. The others were snickering and resetting the table

"How did you know about Blackthorne?"

I broke the stack evenly sending three stripes into the pockets.

"When you stole my dryer, you left a shirt with my stack."

He smirked and leaned against the table. "So you stole my shirt. I was wondering where it went." He sunk a solid into the pocket and glanced at me, his eyes were gleaming with mischief. "You sure you didn't dig it out of my dryer?"

I rolled my eyes, "Now why would I want that?"

He was beside me now watching me miss my shot and set him up perfectly. Shit.

"For the pleasure of my company of course."

I shoved him back a little with my cue. "Listen _Goode_ , I didn't steal your shirt. Now are you going to focus on the game or not?"

His eyes turned dark at the mention of his last name, but he seemed to regain his composure too. He held out his hand between us for me to shake it.

"Call me Zach." I took his hand and shook it.

"Cammie." He smirked and set back up for the game.

"Well Gallagher Girl, lets see if they taught you how to play pool at that school of yours."

000000000000000

It had been almost two hours of everyone playing. So far I beat Zach once, he beat me once. The competition was pretty stiff and somehow we started playing teams. It was a weird turn of events, and their group of friends was starting to be divided.

"Zach, get your head in the game! That was an easy shot!" David was on Zach's team and they were two balls away from winning.

"Yeah Zach, that was an easy shot!" I whispered in his ear mocking David. He tensed up and scooted back from the table. Luckily Jonas was up. He reminded me of Liz, except the more serious boy version. He had a calculating look in his eyes and in some combination move sank three of our balls. We were one shot away and it as my turn.

I leaned to get the right angle and felt a body too close to me. My cheeks started going red and I felt my heart beating fast. I can't choke. I took a deep breath and shot. By the grace of god the ball wobbled on the edge of the pocket and rolled in.

"Yes!" I leaped up and turned right into Zach.

"Well that's game." David muttered from the other side, he sent a quick glare to Zach and patted Jonas on the shoulder.

I was frozen in space pressed against Zach and the pool table.

"Good game Gallagher Girl. Best out of five?"

His hand was resting on the table behind me and suddenly my mouth was very dry.

"Um, I think I'm going to go get a drink. We need to switch it up anyway."

I passed my stick to the other guy that seemed to be on my side.

"You're up Lucas."

I felt the blood still rushing to my cheeks and I walked away quickly before anyone else could see. I needed some fresh air and a drink.

The girl was now laughing with a friend in her stool. They were trying to catch cherries in their mouth and based on how many were on the floor, they were not doing a good job. I guess I was out there longer than I thought because the cooler that was once full was now mostly ice. I was digging through the ice until I pulled out an ice cold bottle. Fuzzy Navel. Gross.

I started digging again, but then I heard a high pitched squeal.

"Cammie! Is that you?" I saw the pink perfection pushing through the bodies and I could tell she was swaying a little bit too. A few more drinks and she might join the puppy crying girls.

"Oh my gosh! I thought that was you!" She pulled me into a big hug and I was stiff as a board.

"Hi Deedee," I managed to force out through my gritted teeth.

"What are you doing here?" She had a beaming smile, like nothing had ever happened to us.

"My roommates just got into Alpha Kappa Lambda and we were invited to the party."

Deedee's face scrunched a little before returning to a smile, "Oh. I just got into Delta Chi, but that one is good."

Ugh. I wanted to knock her out and escape back to my little sanctuary but Deedee was persistent on rambling all about her time at Georgetown. Her volunteer hours at the nursing home and how she can't wait to visit Roseville for Thanksgiving.

"We should totally carpool!"

Carpooling with Deedee? Absolutely not.

"Um I'll think about it. It was nice seeing-" I was cut off my a shout coming from a boy with brown wavy hair and blue eyes. My heart stopped.

"Deedee! Hey Deedee! It's time to-" Josh physically stumbled and it had nothing to do with the alcohol.

"Hi Josh." Deedee suddenly winced as she remembered why we weren't friends anymore.

"Oh Cammie… Josh is just here to visit on his way to… uhm… New York!" It was an awful cover story. And Josh was still frozen staring at me.

"Oh. That's nice." Deedee started rambling again about how Josh visits New York sometimes. I was thinking of letting her ramble forever or at least until Macey saw my situation. But Macey was probably still inside and I had no backup. So I nodded along and forced a smile.

"Cammie!" I heard my name in the distance behind the bar. Great. Just what I needed.

"Hey Cam." Zach stood close to me and grabbed the bottle from my hand, "Fuzzy Navel?" He made a disgusted face but laughed.

"Zach, uhm this is Deedee and Josh. They're…" liars and cheats. That's the words that came to mind.

"We went to school with Cammie." Deedee shook his hand and her eyes lingered a little too long. She started into the story of how she saw me here and I was tense. Josh was avoiding eye contact and kicking the grass at his feet. I wanted to grab his face and make him look at me. But I just stood there, stiff as a board.

And then I felt a hand rest on the small of my back in the gap between my shirt and jeans. I felt sparks of electricity shoot up my spine. I glanced at Zach but he just smiled and pretended like this was completely normal. Then I saw Deedee's face as she saw his hand on my back. She was beaming and then leaned into Josh. I have to her that, she didn't show off her relationship in front of the ex until she knew she had someone. Not that I did, so that just made it worse.

I heard Deedee and Zach laughing at the end of her story that I completely ignored. He then turned his attention to me and leaned a little closer.

"Cam, we're waiting on you for another game."

"Okay. Yeah I'll be there in a minute."

"It was great meeting you." He took my bottle with him and left toward the table again. I wanted that bottle now.

"Okay, well I'll see you around Deedee."

"Maybe we can still carpool to Roseville?" I hated how hopeful she sounded. Like I could forget everything that happened and we could still be friends.

"Yeah. Maybe." And I walked away without a second glance.

When I approached the pool table it didn't look like they were waiting for me. In fact only Lucas and Nick noticed I came back.

"Where's your drink?" Obviously Nick would notice that I came back empty handed. I was still stuck in thoughts. Where was my drink? Then I narrowed my eyes at Zach.

"He took it." I swiped it away from him and took a sip of the nasty liquid. Zach just studied me. I kept drinking hoping to forget that I just saw Josh, here, in Georgetown. Didn't want to do long distance my ass.

"Dammit Lucas!" David was definitely the more serious of the pool players.

"Sorry." Lucas just shrugged, he had a better attitude about the whole thing.

"Where is Grant? He would be a better partner."

I almost spit up my drink.

"Grant? Like the Grant that just got into the frat, Grant?" Every eye was now on me and looked confused. Zach was the one to speak.

"Yeah. He's my roommate."

Are you kidding me? Grant, the one that Bex is probably already in love with is this guy's roommate. The same guy that I loathed for a week. Fate is just hilarious isn't it.

"My roommate likes him!" Nick rolled his eyes.

"Good luck to her. He's already head over heels for this British chick." Oh this is just too rich.

"That's my roommate!" Now Zach's eyes went wide.

"That's your roommate? I had to hear him talk about her for weeks before I hit her with the pencil."

"You were the one to throw the pencil at her?"

"He was never going to talk to her so I had to make him." I smiled thinking of how Bex went into her dream quality after that.

"Well I guess I should thank you. I've never seen her so happy."

"I would say you're welcome, but now Grant is always pestering me about what to text her."

"Oh god. Don't tell me you're the one texting her."

"No way. I told him he was on his own now."

Bex had been glowing all week. It's nice knowing the Grant was just as crazy about her as she was. It was nice thinking that maybe, just maybe, they could reach that happy ending.

David broke whatever trance I was in. Somehow Zach was now inches away from me.

"Well I hope it doesn't last. We need our boy back if I want to win at pool ever again." This guy must be really competitive about this game. I sent him a glare, I mean who would wish their friend would be miserable just to play pool.

"We don't need Grant. We have Cammie now." Nick swung his arm over my shoulder and leaned on me. He had definitely had more to drink than the others, but the sentiment was what counted.

"Yeah. Cammie is better than Grant was. Especially if Grant was drinking." Jonas started citing off the only factual evidence he had to get me to stay. David was still eyeing me though. He didn't want a change to this group but the rest of the guys looked convinced. Finally David broke into a smile.

"Fine. But if Grant comes back, sorry but it's bros before hoes." That was the worst excuse I've heard, but I was willing to take it. The rest of the guys were smiling at the approval. Lucas passed me the stick.

"Alright Camster. You're up. Loser of this buys pizza."

Nick was picking up the other stick and gave me a sloppy grin.

"Since when did I agree to getting pizza?" Lucas stumbled and feigned hurt.

"You don't want to get pizza with us? I thought we made a good impression on you." It's true. I did like these guys. Even David had his moments.

"I'll go but I'm not paying." Zach smirked at me.

"Well I guess you better beat Nick then, Gallagher Girl."

From the way Nick was swaying and almost missed the ball, I wasn't too worried.

"Alright, but Nick, you should know. I like extra cheese on my pizza. Think you can afford that?" He gave me a sloppy grin again mixed with what I think was supposed to be a wink.

"Honey, you can get whatever you like."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Wow guys. Sorry for all the grammar errors. I was rereading and I actually cringed at some of it. Well I proof read this one to make sure there were none (or at least a lot less). I liked the idea of being able to create some new characters. I had three blank slates (four if you count Jonas since we were given a few lines about him) to work with. So enjoy getting to know the guys! Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

"Are you sure we shouldn't be calling an Uber to get pizza?" The way that Nick was stumbling with the keys in his hand, I was not willing to get in a car with him. Zach just saw my worried glance at Nick and snatched the keys from him.

"Hey! You can't drive my car!"

"And you weren't supposed to drink tonight." It sounded like he was chiding a child for eating dessert before dinner. He turned back to me and gave me a half hearted smile.

"It's pretty routine with him. He convinces us he will be the DD and twenty minutes into the night he's already doing shots. So we usually have a few back ups."

Jonas pulled another set of keys from his pocket and started walking toward the Honda Civic, a sensible car, but not big enough for six people. And it definitely wouldn't be with David stretching out in the backseat. Jonas shut the door behind him.

"Cammie, you can ride with me if you want."

I saw Zach and Lucas pushing Nick into the back of his Silverado. Lucas was shaking his head when Nick kept trying to open the doors. Yeah, probably best to avoid that truck for now.

"Sure. Thanks Jonas." He gave a small nod and crawled into the front seat.

"You sure you and Zach are okay to drive?"

"Absolutely. We haven't had a drop to drink tonight."

"Really?"

He shook his head, "No, we never drink at parties." I was never big on drinking either, but even I had at least two drinks.

"Not to sound like you're a prude, but why?"

He gave an embarrassed laugh, "Well my body doesn't process it very well, I just get sick everywhere. And Zach doesn't drink at parties, doesn't want to risk getting caught and losing his scholarship."

At least they were smart and had a plan. We sat in a comfortable silence for about one minute before David started his questioning.

"So Cammie, what's your major?" This was a common question in college, one that could make or break a friendship.

"Kinesiology."

"Woah, that's a big word for this time at night." Jonas rolled his eyes next to me.

"It means she studies the body, specifically a moving one."

I saw David slump a little in the backseat, "oh."

Jonas glanced at me, "Are you going into physical therapy?"

"Yeah. I'm hoping to get an internship as an athletic trainer until I graduate."

David scoffed from the backseat. "Athletic trainer. Do you even play any sports."

"I'm a runner. Broke a few records my last year." I saw that he was fighting a smile in the rearview mirror. I know David was the hard one in the group to win over, but I felt he was slowly warming up to me.

"What about you David. I bet you play a sport, you have the competitive attitude for it."

"I play lacrosse." He was beaming. He was probably the captain and was waiting for anyone to ask so he could brag about it.

"Not soccer?"

"No way. I'm not very good with kicking a ball around."

"Well how do you know Zach then?"

Jonas cleared his throat, "I used to be roommates with Zach and Grant at Blackthorne." Used to be?

"You're not now?" Jonas just started laughing.

"Oh no. Six years of living with those two is enough for me. I live with David and two other guys. We're all engineering majors so we have the same type of class schedule." I thought of how Liz was always up at the crack of dawn and Macey didn't have classes until eleven. I'm sure they had a better sleep schedule than our dorm.

"But you still have time for hanging out?"

"Every Saturday. I might not like living with them, but they're still like family to me."

I kind of saw why David was so overprotective of letting me join the group. David might have been new to the group too, but they had a pretty set routine and I was an intruder. David was still staring at me fairly intensely.

"Normally we go to Chance's but since Grant is now a pledge, we got invites to his house's party."

"Sounds like a nice routine."

David just chuckled in the back. "We have to keep ourselves sane somehow. A dorm filled with four engineering majors would drive anyone crazy."

We pulled up to a 24/7 pizza place and it was packed with college students. Zach and Lucas were already ushering Nick towards the door. He managed to be doing a much better job at walking now.

David was already walking to the hostess stand and flashed her a grin. She laughed and grabbed six menus and headed towards the back semi-circle booth. I got pushed into the middle between Lucas and David.

The hostess eyed me suspiciously but flashed her smile again and walked away.

Lucas reached over me and punched David in the shoulder.

"Dude, when are you ever going to ask her out?"

"I'll do it in my own time." He narrowed his eyes at Lucas then I saw his hands fiddling under the table. "Katie probably doesn't like me anyway."

He couldn't be serious. Was he actually nervous? Were all guys always this nervous when it came to girls?

"Oh she likes you." The booth turned silent and I was again the most interesting person in the group.

"Do you not see the way she laughs at you? And the way she eyed me? She definitely likes you. She's probably just waiting for you to make your move."

"See, I told you she liked you," Nick slurred a little louder than necessary. Luckily Katie wasn't there to hear.

"What should I do?" David's eyes looked urgent. I couldn't believe this was the same person that was bragging on himself in the car and didn't even want me there.

"Just ask her to dinner. And not for pizza. Or a movie, I don't know." David was nodding his head but he still looked nervous.

"Bet you're glad Camster is here now," Lucas bumped his shoulder into mine. It was weird hearing that nickname again. Only my dad called me that, but I still smiled hearing it.

Nick smiled and started to stand on his seat in the booth. "Attention everyone! We have a love expert here!" David and Zach were quick to pull him down but I still blushed. If he knew what happened earlier, he wouldn't be calling me a love expert.

Lucas leaned closer to me again. "So Cammie, do you have a boyfriend?" Jonas pushed his shoulder, "Dude you can't just ask that."

"Why not? If she wants to be part of this group I think we should know. Here I'll start it off." He pointed at Jonas, "Single, but not actively looking."

He skipped to David, "Well as you know, he's hung up on Katie."

He pointed to Nick who gave me a sloppy grin, "Girlfriend, he's just a flirt though. Don't take him seriously."

He pointed at Zach who smirked, "Single." Then he pointed at himself and his smile brightened. "Single and ready to mingle," he ended with a wink.

The rest of the guys started laughing at my blush as I sank further into the booth.

"Don't listen to him. Lucas has been looking for a girlfriend since he moved in."

"I have not! I just know a pretty girl when I see one." Me? He thought I was a pretty girl? I blushed more and started to smile.

"You have too! You hit on Grant's sister when she helped him move in." Zach was smirking at him, daring him to deny it.

"Yeah. She was pretty hot." Then Lucas shook his head and directed his attention back to me. "So are you single or not?"

"Semi-newly single. I wanted a fresh start for college." I caught Zach's eye and he was still studying me. No doubt trying to put together this fact with how he saved me from DeeDee and Josh.

Lucas' smile widened and he scooted a little closer.

"Well Camster, it's nice meeting you." Sure Lucas was attractive. He had dirty blonde hair and green eyes. Fairly muscular arms and a pretty outgoing personality. But something just seemed off. I felt like he could be a good friend but nothing else.

"Sorry Lucas. I think you're going to be a great friend." The rest of the guys ooh'd at my remark.

"Friendzoned in the first night. That's pretty cold." Jonas high fived me around Lucas while he pretended to look hurt.

"Ouch Cammie. You may have just passed up on your soulmate." I laughed a little.

"Well if you are my soulmate, I'll come crawling right back to you. You better be single if that happens." He grabbed my hand in his and kissed my fingers.

"Only for you babe." He was a funny guy. Funny, but still nothing there. Even with Josh I felt a little something.

We ordered our pizza and continued joking around. I met them just a few hours ago, but I already felt like one of the guys. When the pizza came, Nick perked up. The promise of the extra cheesy pizza would hopefully sober him up a little. He ate four slices before sinking into Zach's shoulder looking very tired.

Zach pushed Nick's head off his shoulder, "I think we better get him home soon. I don't want to have to carry him all the way up the stairs again."

"It's only one in the morning Zach. The night is still young!" Lucas motioned to the bustling crowd outside. Zach waved for the check and dug Nick's card from his wallet.

"You guys can stay, but I need to get him home."

David got Nick to finish his water and stay awake long enough to get out the door. It was only one, but I really did need to go home. A certain psych paper crossed my mind.

"Mind if I hitch a ride with you? I probably should go too."

Zach had Nick's arm slung over his shoulder and he held out Nick's other arm for me to grab.

"Yeah. Just help me get him in the truck."

Before leaving I turned back to the rest of the guys, "Thank you for letting me hang out with you." David just gave a subtle nod, I had gained his respect after telling him about Katie's feelings. Jonas smiled and waved, but Lucas had to create a dramatic scene. He scooped me up in a hug and spun me around.

"I'll never let go Cammie."

"Really Lucas, the Titanic." He raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"What? I thought it was a good line." I punched his shoulder.

"If you're a ten year old girl it is. Now go. The night is still young." He was already making his way toward the crowd of students outside, showing off for a bunch of girls.

"He's really something." Zach just shifted in his seat slightly to check on Nick.

"Yeah. Lucas is kind of a ladies man." The girls were all laughing at him but one was moving closer. Lucas wouldn't have any trouble finding a girlfriend if he actually tried. Nick started snoring in the back seat and I became aware that we were alone. And the last time we were alone was the laundry room.

"So about earlier…" I could still feel the spot where he touched my back.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, it just looked like you needed some help." He didn't look like the cocky boy at the pool table, he looked timid.

"No it's fine. Thanks, by the way." We sat in silence for a few minutes. My eyes were getting heavy hearing Nick's rhythmic breathing.

"Was that the ex?" My eyes shot back open and Zach was staring at me.

"Who?"

"Jimmy, the guy from the party."

"Josh," I corrected and it came out kind of like a growl. "And that was his new girlfriend." Zach grimaced.

"Sorry. Must be tough seeing them together."

It wasn't tough seeing them together. Afterall the last three months in Roseville, they were broadcasting their relationship to everyone. I had gotten past that part of it. It was more of surprise than anything.

"Thanks for helping me though. If there's ever an ex girlfriend you need saving from, I'll return the favor." He laughed and looked to see if I was serious. He focused back on the road.

"None." For the second time this night I was surprised by Zach.

"None?"

"I went to an all-boys school. I didn't really have time for a girlfriend. Unless you count the one that I had for three days when I was ten."

I leaned over the console and channeled my inner Bex.

"Everyone knows those are the most dangerous girlfriends of all. They have some type of childhood claim on you." He laughed again at my antics.

"Well if she ever comes around, I'll let you know."

He parked into the closest open space to the dorms and nudged Nick.

"Wake up Nicky. Time to go for a walk." Nick looked at me and gave his grin again.

"Taking me to your place already? Really Cammie, I'm not that kind of guy."

Zach pulled on his feet to get him out the doors. The pizza must have sobered him up enough to walk in a straight line, but he was still tired. We leaned him against the wall as Zach searched for his key card to get through the first doors and Nick started sliding down the wall. Zach crouched down to his eye level and grabbed his face.

"Nick I am not carrying you up the stairs again. You are going to have to walk."

"Cammie can carry me." He held out his arm for me to grab and I pulled him up from the wall. Zach grabbed his other arm and pushed him through the door.

"Come on buddy. Just like we practiced." Nick did surprisingly well getting up the stairs. His feet just kept climbing even when his eyes were drifting shut. His body was getting heavier and I hoped we were getting close. We walked down the hall two more doors before Zach stopped. He tried supporting Nick on one shoulder while digging through the keys with his other hand. Nick started sliding so I wrapped both arms around him to hold him up.

"Come on Nick. Wake up." His eyes shot open again for a second and he started standing on his own. Just in time Zach got the door open and Nick stretched before walking through the door and into the closest room.

"Is this what happens every Saturday?" Zach ran a hand through his hair as if the routine was getting tiring on him already.

"Not every Saturday, just when he fights with Annie. Usually Grant is there to help, but you didn't do so bad, Gallagher Girl." I still really hadn't met Grant, but he looked like a big guy. I doubted that I could ever do as well as he could.

"Well I should get going." I was now aware that it was getting closer to two.

"I'll walk you back."  
"You really don't have to. It's just downstairs."

"Yeah but it's late. And on the night after rush week there's bound to be some rowdy people in the halls." Just then a crying drunk girl walked down the hall. "See, they're every where." I couldn't help but let out a laugh and smile.

"Besides, how else am I going to get my shirt back?" I felt that same adrenaline course through me the night of the laundry incident but it wasn't based off of anger anymore.

"You shouldn't have taken my dryer!" He raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"So you did take my shirt."

"No! But if you never stole my dryer your shirt wouldn't have been mixed in with my clothes." He paused outside my door and leaned against it with arms crossed.

"You're not actually mad about that are you, Gallagher Girl?"

I was mad that night, and for the next few nights. But that was before I actually got to know him and his friends. I reached around him to open the door.

"I'll tell you what. You can have your shirt back if you do my laundry for the next two weeks." He put his hand to his chest.

"That's a steep price for a shirt that you took."

"You should've thought about that before." I opened the door and froze at the sight of Bex scrambling away from Grant and hurrying to distance herself from him. Her eyes were wide until she saw me and started to relax a little. Grant looked confused but had a grin on his face. I turned and saw Zach smirking at the scene.

"Hey Flash! Uhm, this is Grant." Bex was smoothing out her hair before she saw that I wasn't alone.

"And that's the pencil thrower!" She pointed and smiled.

"He's also the dryer stealer." Grant's face light up then.

"Wait, Zach this is the girl you ran into at the laundry room."

He told his friends about me?

"Ah yes, this is just the best reunion ever. Now it's almost two and it's time to save the whole story for another day." Bex and Grant looked sad to have to say goodbye. I stalked into my room and Zach trailed behind me to give the two lovebirds a little bit of privacy. I grabbed the shirt from the end of my bed and held it out to him.

"Do we have a deal?" He looked at his shirt and paused before grabbing it.

"Really Gallagher Girl, there are other ways to show me your underwear," he winked and grabbed his shirt.

"I'll see you Saturday. Come on Romeo. She'll be here tomorrow." He pulled Grant by his collar toward the door.

"It was nice meeting you!" He turned to Bex, "So Saturday?"

She tried acting calm and composed, "Yeah. I'll see you then." She gave a little wave of her hand toward him before they disappeared out the door. She was frozen staring at the door and smiling.

"I guess things went well."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Wow ya'll really flatter me. Thank you so much for the reviews! I wish I could say I'm going to keep up this pace for update, but I go back to work on Monday. I'll try to get an update every week though. Reading through this one, it's not my favorite chapter, but it had to be written for the rest of the roommates to catch up. Find out what happened with Macey, Liz and Bex at the party. Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

In case you were wondering, we didn't go to sleep, even though I had the impending deadline of a paper. Sure I got ready for bed while Bex was still floating on a cloud and was in my flossing process when the door opened again.

"We are the champions, my friend," Macey sang horribly off key with Liz on her back. Despite hours inside a hot house, the only noticeable differences about Macey were that her hair was now pulled into a ponytail, a slight stench of beer and she was glowing. McHenry Cosmetics setting spray. Macey always swore by it but until now, I didn't know its power.

"We are the champions. We are the champions!" Macey passed the invisible mic to Liz on her back.

"No time for losers!" And they completed the duet in unison.

"BECAUSE WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! Of the world!"

Bex emerged from our room now fully pajama'd, and applauded.

"Bravo!" Macey took a bow and Liz toppled off and was laughing on the floor.

"Our little blonde roommate has a secret talent!" Macey pulled her up from the ground and she was blushing now. She was glowing along with Macey and I knew she was a little tispy too.

"Liz isn't a lightweight like we thought?" I sat down on the ottoman, making an effort to avoid the couch. I saw what had happened there just minutes before.

Macey gave it a thoughtful look but was beaming, "We never had to find out, because Liz is a master pong player!" I had seen her first shot that sunk in the cup perfectly. Then I thought of how well Jonas played pool. It was sort of a surprise, but at the same time I believed it.

"Liz, how many games did we play?" Macey slung her arm over Liz's shoulder.

"In a row? Or total?" I'm sure the data from tonight was probably going into Liz's form of a diary that had nothing but statistics and research.

"Total."

"Fifteen!" Bex's mouth dropped. Usually people only played five games tops before they were blacking out. Macey just looked smug.

"And how many games did we win?"

"Fourteen!"

"What happened in one of the games?" Don't get me wrong, fourteen was impressive, but I was curious. Liz blushed again.

"Well we were playing Preston and Nathan for the third time and one of the balls splashed beer into my eye. I couldn't see very well."

"Don't worry about that one Liz. The terms weren't too terrible."

"What terms?" Bex was the only one who was still shocked. She hadn't seen how Preston and Macey played. They had high stakes for the first game and Preston wasn't one to let that go. Especially if he lost.

"Well after a phone call to his mother about an embarrassing kiss on Fourth of July that lead to him crying and knocking over the punch bowl, he said he wanted a rematch. So we played again, they lost again and now Liz gets an all access tour in Washington. I was feeling pretty good and thought of what else I could get out of him so I pushed it one more game."

"And what did he get?"

"Preston got nothing. But Nathan got a pretty nice kiss." Liz erupted in laughter.

"You should've seen his face! He was already grinning and closing is eyes then when you went to Nathan!" Bex stifled a laugh but I was just shocked.

"He wasn't a bad kisser. A little too scruffy for my liking though."

Macey had a self satisfied smirk, one that had nothing with Nathan the 'not bad kisser'. I remembered a few stories about an annoying boy that she used to play with, and I saw the look in her eye when she saw Preston again. She wanted a little revenge, but it went deeper than that.

"I call Liz the next time we play." Bex pulled Liz toward her.

"I don't think so, Rebecca." Macey pulled her back. "I found my little rookie, I get dibs." Bex tried pulling her back and poor Liz was like a ragdoll between them.

"Macey you get to keep Liz. Bex already has a partner." I sent her a smirk and she started pouting.

"Cammie, I'll be your partner, but-" I waved my hand and rolled my eyes.

"Not me. I'm thinking of a certain boy," I made kissy faces to remind her like she would ever forget. She blushed and Macey sprang into action.

"You kissed Grant?!"

"Technically he kissed me… the first time." She had a devilish smile and I was prepared for a dramatic retelling of the events.

"What? How? When?" Liz was going through the checklist of basic questions to get the story that she wanted. Bex just smiled and let the silence wash over us to ensure all eyes were on her. She got up and walked to the fridge and opened a can of coke. She really was one for dramatic pauses, but even I thought it was a bit much.

"Just tell us!" Liz wasn't one to wait when it was already after two in the morning.

"We got to the party…"

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It had taken forty five minutes to tell the whole story. Of course it could have been summarized into this:

They saw each other across the room and he said she looked beautiful. They started dancing in one of the rooms and he left to get them some drinks. While he was gone another drunk guy asked her to dance but was getting really handsy. Although Bex could easily have handled herself, Grant came to her rescue and saved her. (I mentioned that he was like George McFly and it was a real Back to the Future moment, but she didn't know that movie). Then he took her hand and got away from the crowds outside. They dipped their feet in the pool and he kissed her. After that they danced a little longer and she said she had to wake up early tomorrow and needed to get back. A blatant lie, but it was a classy way of inviting him over. Like the prince charming that he was he offered to take her back and even paid for the Uber (I know, right!). And then they started playing the ever classy game of truth or dare which turned into a makeout session initiated by Bex.

Of course if she just told it like this, we wouldn't have gotten how he flexed his arms when pushing the guy or the way his blue eyes matched the sparkling pool water. And she definitely wouldn't have gotten the same response that she did.

"He's your soul mate!" Liz was smiling like a five year old that got ice cream for dinner.

"When are you seeing him again?"

"Saturday for sure. Is that too soon?" Liz was eager to answer.

"Of course not! You should see him as soon as possible. What is he doing tomorrow?"

"No way! You can't do that! One week for an actual date is perfect timing." While Liz was the genius in all things science, Macey was a genius in all things boy and dating. Without her I never would've gotten one date with Josh, of course now that doesn't seem too awful.

"But one week is so far away! What if he forgets about you?" Unfortunately that came off exactly as bad as it sounded. Bex's face kind of sunk and Macey glared at Liz.

"He's not going to forget her. He asked her out. He likes her."

"It's true. He's pretty crazy about you, his friends told me." I stated my only useful fact and it brightened her up a little. But then there was silence in the room and my three roommates were staring at me like I just grew an extra head.

"What?"

"You met his friends? Without even meeting him?" Macey's voice started raising with every word.

"I was wondering why the pencil thrower was here," Bex added as if that was the most interesting thing from when I entered.

"Cam! You brought a boy here?" Liz on the edge of her seat, literally. She was about to fall off the couch if she moved another inch.

"He walked me back since it was late. Safety reasons."

Macey rolled her eyes, "Sure Cammie. I'm sure he was very concerned about safety."

"Wait, how did you meet Grant's friends?"

"Well while you were surprising everyone with your beer pong talents, I wanted a little air so I went outside and saw a pool table with a bunch of guys."

"And you actually walked up to them? Wow, Flash, you've got guts."

"Yeah, well all of those guys were all of Grant's friends and we played pool and ate pizza. It was nothing really." Liz and Bex didn't look as convinced.

"It was nothing? If it was nothing you wouldn't have gotten an escort back here." Bex did have a point. I had an uphill battle getting accepted into the group by David and they didn't have to invite me back.

"He just came to get his shirt back."

Liz's eyes went wide for the hundredth time that night, "To get his shirt back?"

"Oh yeah. Cammie forgot to mention that the pencil thrower is also the guy from the laundry room."

"Cammie! The laundry room guy hung out with you all night and walked you back! Why didn't you say something?" Liz was up and pacing.

"Ok we can't keep calling him 'laundry room guy' or 'pencil thrower', it takes too long."

"Oh I'm sorry, but you just forgot to mention his name."

Whoops. I really was bad at story telling, always leaving details out.

"His name is Zach. He went to school with Grant and now they're roommates."

"Zach," Macey tried the name on for size, "That's a pretty sexy name."

"Macey! We're just friends." Sure, he was pretty attractive but I just got into this friend group. I don't think I need to start crushing on one of them yet, no matter how hard Lucas tried. Now Macey and Liz rolled their eyes.

"Sure Cammie. Is there any other details you forgot to mention?"

Lets see, Zach is the dryer stealer, pizza, walked back. What else?

"Oh yeah!" A lightbulb went off in my mind and then I felt the embarrassment all over again. "I ran into DeeDee and Josh." Liz finally fell off the couch.

"Are you kidding me? You let us talk and talk and you didn't mention running into your ex and his new girlfriend?!"

"You didn't come find us? I would have beat their faces in." Bex had a murderous look on her face. I much preferred the glowing Bex.

"What was Josh even doing there?" Macey had venom in her voice. She remembered how quick Josh was to agree to our breakup. He said it made sense anyway since we were going to be hours apart.

"He was visiting DeeDee," I spat out. I wished I didn't sound like that. "Look I'm not mad that he was there really."

"I am." Bex scowled.

"It's not like I expected him to stay single forever."

"Yeah, but I expected him to stay single at least a month."

That memory still made my heart hurt. Sure our breakup was mutual for the most part. But I still hadn't moved on and he certainly did. A week after we broke up in fact, with the same girl he said was just a friend.

"We hate her. And him. We hate them." Liz summed up for all of us.

"What kind of girl takes another girl's guy after three days?"

"I've got a few words for it."

"Look guys, it wasn't that bad. I mean yeah, I was embarrassed at first, but Zach kind of saved me."

"How?" They all started smiling again and that really worried me.

"He kind of in a way made it look like he was my boyfriend." The only sound in the room was the humming of the fridge. They were sharing looks, having a silent conversation without me. Macey nodded.

"He's got it bad." The flu, chickenpox, amnesia?

"Got what bad?" Bex was smiling like I was such a cute little girl.

"Oh Cam, he's totally in love with you." There's no way. We just officially met and he was just being a good friend.

"No he is not! We hated each other. He was just being a friend. I'm sure Nick or Lucas would've done the same thing."

"Sure Cammie," Macey gave me a knowing smile.

000000000000000  
After all the commotion and a little more discussion about what Bex should do for her date, we went to bed. At 4 am. I closed my eyes for what had to have been ten seconds and woke up at nine. My body ached and it took all of my might to get out of bed.

The smell of coffee was already wafting through the air and Liz was already dressed and sitting on the couch with her laptop.

"Morning Cammie. Do you want to study today?" I really just wanted to go back to sleep, but I had a paper to write and a phone call that would probably last a long time. Besides, after getting Liz's key to biology, I felt invincible.

"Not today Liz. I don't have another test for a month."

I took my cup of coffee and went back to the laptop on my bed. What was my paper even supposed to be about? I pulled out the assignment details to find the prompt.

 _Can first impressions of someone change?_

I instantly thought about Zach. When I first met him, I hated him. He haunted my dreams and I dreamed of him on a spin cycle. Yeah, they could change.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Honestly I don't think I've ever written this much in a week. And unfortunately I don't think I will be again. Cammie made a deal with Zach and she surely won't forget it. So read as she cashes in on her first load of laundry. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

It was the first day of October and there was a little chill in the air. The sun was still shining, but the wind had a bite to it. In just a few months it would be dark at this time and probably bitterly cold. I took the long way to the dining hall and picked up a chicken sandwich for dinner. The dining hall was almost empty, most of the students were outside enjoying the nice weather. So I pushed open the door and scouted for a spot.

There were large groups of girls scattered everywhere, taking selfies and practicing symbols. No doubt new pledges that bonded over the weekend. I'm sure Macey and Bex would be off with their new sisters this week, forging bonds and creating memories.

There were three couples scattered around the edges, far enough away for privacy. They had the dreamy gazes and unnecessary contact, probably have been together a few weeks. I wondered if just like the warm weather, they would be gone in a few months.

Then the perfect spot called to me. There were ledges of stone that formed large steps up to the student union and they reflected heat. It was perfect! Not too close to the new sorority sisters, just one couple that seemed to be comfortable with eachother, and four individuals with headphones in and a laptop. Lets make it five.

I settled down onto my stone ledge and put my headphones in. I know, I said I don't like listening to music, but that was when I ran. When I wasn't focusing on all the thoughts in my head, I didn't mind. So I plugged myself in, turned my music up and dug into my sandwich.

It was soothing basking in the sun and people watching. My sandwich had one bite left and then I saw a familiar face in the crowd.

"David!" I started waving and he kind of froze when he saw me. Oh no. I made a mistake. We weren't really friends yet and now I was making him talk to me on campus with peers around. But I couldn't stop my hand from waving in the air.

David started walking toward me, then I realized that he wasn't alone. While David was a tall guy, he wasn't that muscular, just tall and lean. The boy behind him also didn't have a lot of muscle mass but he was at least three inches shorter, probably only two taller than me. David had a semi-serious nature, but I could see a small smile on his face.

"Hey Cammie."

"Sorry. I just saw you and then I started calling your name." He looked embarrassed and I started blushing. Oh great. I already ruined my chances of being friends with him.

"It's fine. I just got done with lacrosse and was going to get something to eat."

"Do you want to come with us?" The boy was trying his best to look seductive, but he looked too much like a child that had sour candy in their mouth.

"Oh.. um no I just finished my dinner." I held up my sandwich wrapper, "Thanks though."

"You sure? We're going to that awesome pizza place. Pie Haven." My eyes went wide and I grinned.

"Are you-"

"I'm going to tonight," David said through gritted teeth while eyeing his friend.

"Okay. Well have fun." I leaned in to give David a hug and he hesitated but soon started leaning in too. Once he was close enough I whispered in his ear, "Don't play up the team captain thing too much."

His face was a little red when he let go but he smiled and nodded. I was collecting my stuff from my ledge and was about to put my earbuds back in before I heard David call, "I'll see you Saturday?" David actually wanted me there? I thought he was just going along with the group.

"Yeah. I'll see you Saturday."

He gave me a brief smile, like blink and you'll miss it brief, and started walking through campus. He was just warming up to me, I hoped that didn't go away with the weather.

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"Cam, do you still have that bandeau you borrowed?" It was already Thursday, so that meant Bex just got back from her class with Grant and got a few more details about their date. That lead to an immediate Code Red with outfit selections. They were going bowling so she had to get the perfect combination of casual, but not too casual.

"It probably needs to be washed." I dug it out of my half full basket and laid it on the bed next to her jeans. Macey had a hand on her mouth as she analyzed the outfit.

"Pair it was a leather jacket and some pumped sneakers and I think you got an outfit." Bex picked up the bandeau and gripped it in her hands. Her eyes were pleading with me.

"Can I have this back? I need to wash it tonight."

"It's yours. But I have a better idea." I gave her a smirk and threw it back into my basket. I got it ready to move. I dragged the basket down the hall and up the stairs. I knocked on the door and prepared my best smirk. My smirk fell a little when a familiar blonde answered.

"Camster!" He gave me a hug and saw my laundry basket, "Are you moving in?"

"I told you I would come crawling back to you," I smirked and Lucas opened the door for me to come in.

"They always come back."

Grant was on the couch watching _The Office_ on his laptop. He smiled at me when I came in.

"Hey Cammie. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just have a little laundry to do. Where's Zach?" Grants eyebrows furrowed but then he smiled.

"Zach! Laundry room girl is here!" Suddenly a door swung open and Nick's head poked out with a grin. Then he saw me and he looked confused too.

"Cammie?" He rolled out into the living room in a chair and crossed his arms across his chest. "What are you doing here?"

I kicked my basket forward a little, "Laundry."

Zach then appeared from the hallway and smirked.

"You already need your laundry done?"

"Lucky for you, it's only half full, but Bex needed something."

Grant's face lit up at the mention of Bex.

"She needs something? For our date?" He was up and moving toward the basket but I gripped the lid.

"No! You are not finding out this way!" He gripped the lid too and I knew he could overpower me if he wanted to.

"Come on, just a peak," He lifted up the lid a crack before I snapped it shut again.

"You'll see on Saturday." He sat down back on the couch and pretended to pout.

"Come on Blackthorne Boy, this laundry isn't going to do itself."

"I guess I'll do mine, since I'm being your slave." He disappeared back toward his room and Grant turned to me again.

"Ok, just give me a hint. Is it a dress?"

"Nope."

"A skirt?" He looked hopeful.

"Grant, you are going bowling. She's not going to wear a skirt." He cursed under his breath. Zach slung a bag over his shoulder and he carried detergent in his other hand. Huh, same one I use. Why does his shirt smell so much better?

He turned to his roommates, "See you in five hours."

I threw my last bit of laundry into a washer and shut the door.

"There. Now you don't have to fold it or anything, just drop off my basket when you're done."

"You're not going to stay with me?"

"I think that defeats the purpose of you doing my laundry." He rolled his eyes.

"But I'm doing twice the laundry. There's no way I'll find two dryers."

I cocked my hip, "I think you'll find a way."

"I'll do your laundry for a month if you help me find dryers." Hmmm one month.

"Fine, but I'm only staying until we find a dryer. And you have to buy me snacks from the machine!"

His eyes lit up, I never thought brown could be beautiful. "Deal." I hopped up on the counter getting ready to find a dryer, while he walked towards the machine.

"What will it be? Skittles? M&Ms? Kit-Kat?"

"M&Ms." I told you they get me every time. I tore open the package and sent a few scattering onto the counter. I reached for a green one and let it melt. Ah pure bliss. I reached down for the blue one I wanted next, "Hey. Where's the blue one?"

Zach was clearly chewing something, but he smiled, "What blue one?"

I rolled my eyes, "The one in your mouth." I picked up a yellow one, "You can have a yellow," I threw it at him. He picked up another yellow.

"I don't want yellow. I wanted blue." I threw it back at him. There were M&Ms scattering on the floor and one blue M&M left in the little pile. Our eyes locked on it and our hands dove. His fingers were centimeters away and I hit the counter making the blue bounce away into the air. I scooped my finger under it and tossed it in the air and catching it in my mouth. I smiled and he was looking at me in amazement.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"My dad had a sweet tooth, so we had M&Ms a lot." I had a sad smile on my face. He must of noticed because he didn't push it. He just grabbed another pile of M&Ms in his hand and backed up a little.

"How many can you catch in a row?"

I squared myself so he was in front of me. "Lets find out."

We each had a pack of M&Ms in our hands. I was sitting on top of a dryer that was about to be done and Zach was tossing M&Ms across the room at me. I managed to catch almost everyone since we started the game, but there were still so many scattered on the floor. Zach wasn't as good at this game, but he was learning.

"Alright. Now this one's red. Focus on the red!" He was standing four dryers away and had determination in his eyes. My fingers were rainbow colored now and the M&Ms were starting to stick to them. I gave a gentle toss through the air and he had to squat but he caught it.

"GOAL!" I threw my arms in the air and he started running around the room with his arms stretched like an airplane. He returned to his dryer and looking into his bag.

"Okay. This one is for all the marbles. I have five left. It's time for rapid fire."

Five in a row. That would be tough. "What are the colors?"

"Two blue, a green and two browns." I wiped my hands on my shirt and took a deep breath.

"Start with the green." He picked up the green and I gave a nod.

The green soared through the air and before it reached me I saw he was already starting to throw the next one. I caught the green.

"One!" Next.

"Two!" Next.

"Three!" I had to stretch out to get the next.

"Four!" The last brown one was soaring and I had to move fast. I dove across the dryer and caught it before it was going to slip through the gaps.

"Five! Unbelievable! History has been made today!" Zach slung me on his back and started spinning around.

"Zach!" I was laughing and the world was still spinning, "Put me down!"

He flipped me over his head and still had a hold of me cradled in his arms. Then the door opened and we received questionable looks from the girl. Zach pushed me onto the dryer I was waiting for and he hovered around where the girl was unloading her clothes. Once she was out of the room he started scrambling.

"Go, go, go!" He was running from the washer to the dryer and loading his clothes in as fast as he could. He slammed the door shut and started the cycle.

"Okay. I think you can handle waiting for one more dryer."

His smirk fell a little. He leaned against my dryer, his arm brushing my knee.

"But I'll never be able to guard it as well as you." I pushed off the dryer onto the floor.

"I think you'll manage."

"Okay. But if something of yours goes missing, don't blame me. There are a lot of laundry stealers here."

"See you in an hour, Zach."

"See ya, Gallagher Girl."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Another quick update. What is wrong with me? Ok this one is kind of a filler, but leads up to a big chapter. So enjoy the thought process of Cammie and her new running buddy!**

Chapter 10

Sweat was starting to drip down my back as I pushed myself harder. College hadn't made me soft, but my legs were definitely straining to keep pushing me forward. It was Saturday (the Saturday) and I had over a weeks worth of troubles on my mind, and the faster I ran, the quicker the thoughts swirled. I was hoping to be able to outrun them, but they just mixed in one monster tornado of troubles.

 _Josh didn't want to do long distance. Why could he make it work for DeeDee? Is it because I just can't wear pink? Should I hate DeeDee? She did start making a move on my ex-boyfriend three days after we broke up. Should I hate Josh? He was the one that gave into her powers and told me not to worry about DeeDee. Or should I just hate myself for being stupid enough to believe it. I saw the signs when she asked if I liked my birthday present._

 _Why did I even like Josh? He wasn't that special. He was just the guy that wasn't scared to talk to the girl who saw her dad die. And I guess that's what made me like him. He didn't have the sadness in his eyes when he talked to me. Even after five years since he died people had always made me want to cry from their stares. Josh never gave me that look that said, 'Oh you poor girl. You must be so broken', he just looked like I was a normal girl. Nothing special, but a normal high school girl._

 _Why did I think being looked at like I was normal was the most spectacular thing? That wasn't what falling in love was like. If you're in love you should look at the person like they're the most amazing person in the world. You should want to talk to them and be around them for hours. Our dates always consisted of a movie a short dinner after and walking promptly home. And some kissing of course. I think most of our relationship revolved around kissing, not so much talking._

 _Why did Zach's touch make me feel more than any kisses with Josh? Sure they were pleasurable, but I was always trying to deepen the kiss to feel something. I told all the girls at Gallagher that it was magical and knee weakening, but only Macey knew that it was just a wet lip to lip contact. If I was supposed to be in love with him, it should have felt like fireworks and the world slowing down. I felt none of that with Josh._

 _Did David ask Katie out? I forgot to ask if the other guys heard anything. I had a feeling David was more of a private person and wouldn't broadcast that to the world until he knew it was serious._

 _Did Nick and Annie make up? I didn't know them, but the torture that Nick put himself through must have proved that their love was worth it. Were they long distance and it wasn't working? I hoped not._

 _Were Grant and Bex going to make it? They had only been on one sort of date, but I had high hopes for them. I haven't seen Bex so happy since I met her. I hoped Grant really did feel the same._

 _Did Mom and Dad start off like that? Were they absolutely crazy about each other or did they start off as just friends? The way that they looked at each other and laughed at each other made me think they were both. Maybe you're crazy about your bestfriend? These were all things I needed to ask my mom, but that would lead to an interrogation of who I was talking about. When I talked to her on Sunday she had a lot of questions of if I was safe at the party, why would I trust guys I just met, was Liz going to be up in Washington during the winter? So you can see how introducing a question about love would lead to a lot of questions that I didn't know how to answer._

 _Did I really know these guys? Sure I felt like I fit right in, but I didn't know much about them yet. Where were they from? What were their majors? Who preferred extra toppings on their pizza? Did Lucas really trying to get a girlfriend, or was it an act while he was still heartbroken? What were they like in high school? I could just imagine Zach being the most popular kid in school, star of the soccer team. I would say a ladies man, but I already knew he wasn't._

I was still pushing, but now I felt a smile tugging at my lips.

 _Was I actually happy that Zach didn't have a girlfriend/ crazy ex out there?_

"Hey Gallagher Girl." Footsteps kept pace beside me now. He gave me a lopsided grin.

"Hey Blackthorne Boy. What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing. I've been running this trail, at this time, since August and I've never seen you." I looked around and noticed I was on the same trail as last week when I saw him. I didn't even know I was here.

"Maybe you just never noticed me."

He gave me a look, "Really Cammie. I would notice a girl that was running if they were going as fast as you are." I blushed a little. Luckily my face was red enough that he wouldn't notice.

"Oh yeah. I forgot you are all about safety."

"Safety begins with me," he sang with a lightness in his voice.

We ran in silence, just the pattern of our feet hitting the ground in unison. His breathing was getting harder and I saw sweat was starting to drip down his face.

"How far do you run," He asked a little breathless. I never really thought of that. I never measured the distance, I just ran until I felt better.

"I don't really know. It changes from time to time."

"How far has it been lately?"

Well if he asked last week, it would've only been three miles. Things had changed a little since then.

"Probably five miles today." He raised his eyebrows.

"Ok the distance isn't bad but you have to slow down."

"Bex doesn't call me Flash for nothing." He tried to laugh, but that just made him cramp and clutch his side. We slowed to a stop and he was still hunched over.  
"Don't stand like that." I grabbed his shoulder and started forcing him to stand up straight and moved his arms above his head.

"So I just have to stand like I'm doing the macarana?" He did look like he was in the middle of the dance, or like he was getting arrested.

"Just breath, the cramp will go away." He took a few deep breaths and relief filled his face. I remember having those side cramps when I would be sobbing and couldn't get any air in.

"You're not breathing right."

He gave me a skeptical look, "I'm sorry, should I try breathing through my ears?"

I rolled my eyes, "I mean when you're running. You cramp because you aren't getting enough air. The key to distance running is your breathing."

He nodded, "How do you know so much about this?"

"Kinesiology major. And I ran track."

"You don't run for the school?"

I shook my head, "It's more of a hobby now."

Sure I got offers, but I didn't want my life to start revolving around a stress reliever. That would just lead to a breakdown.

He stretched his arms above his head and gave a deep breath, "Want to jog back?"

We were still about half a mile from the dorms. Wouldn't take too long, even if we were just jogging. I took off at a slower pace and noticed that he was trying to find a pattern for steady breathing. I focused and tried to stay in pace with him. I wasn't thinking about my troubles anymore, I was just running. But one question still was in my mind. Who was Zach Goode? So I started with the most basic question.

"What's your major?"

"Psychology."

"What? I didn't know that!"

He gave a half laugh, "Well you never asked. And we just met."

"I could've picked your brain for my paper last week."

"As fun as that sounds, psych papers are really only helpful for the person writing them. I don't think the same way you do."

I rolled my eyes and smiled, "Nerd." He smirked and we fell back into our rhythm.

"Are you excited for tonight," he asked once we turned the corner toward the dorms.

"Well I'm not ready for the stress yoga Bex will be doing for hours. But yeah. She's really excited about the date."

He gave a half laugh, "I meant about your first full night at Chance's. But nice to know she's excited."

For a week Saturday had only meant Bex's date with Grant. I didn't even think about how I was going to hang out for a full night with the guys.

"Oh yeah! It will be fun." We ran up the last steps before the door and paused at the top. The campus was still dead. The night owls were already back in their room and only a few early birds were still roaming around.

"What time do I need to meet?" It was close to eight, so I still had plenty of time, but I could really use a nap.

"We leave around eight, butou can come up whenever you want. You know, in case you want to get away from the yoga session."

"No way. If she found out I ditched helping her get ready to hang out with some guys, I would probably be tied in a knot."

He smirked, "Door's always open."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: New chapter! This isn't the big big one but it's a good build up. I promise the next one will have more action, maybe more Zammie. I can't promise a quick update but I'll try my hardest. Enjoy! (p.s. for my Percy followers, I'm sorry but my next chapter is half way done)**

Chapter 11

I was in desperate need for water and a shower. I peeked into Liz and Macey's room and saw Liz was gone (as usual) and Macey was still tucked away in bed (as usual). It was like a normal Saturday morning, minus that I now start my Saturdays earlier. And that my door was already open with a pajama-clad Bex inspecting our closet.

"Whatcha doing?" She held up a dress.

"Just trying to decide what to wear." I looked at the outfit that was hanging up at the end of the closet.

"You already decided what you would wear, Duchess." She wrinkled her nose and put the dress back.

"But what if it's not good enough." Her voice was soft and her eyes were sad. I knew the look well. That's how I looked almost everyday for a month after finding out Josh and DeeDee were together. Was Bex actually insecure? She talked about an ex boyfriend and how her friends had some tough breakups, but the way she was always so enthusiastic about boys, I never would have thought she would be insecure about them. She was mad when Jason cheated on her, but she bounced right back. Maybe those things did change her. I held up the outfit that was already tried on, washed, and finalized. She looked down at it but I looked at her.

"It is good enough. And Grant will think it's perfect." She gathered the outfit in her arms and gave a soft smile.

"You still have ten hours until you leave. Relax a little."

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By five o'clock I was really wishing that I took Zach up on the doors open offer, but by then it was too late to escape.

Bex was successful at relaxing, if by relaxing you mean studying for an hour (Liz would approve), compulsive cleaning (Macey did not approve when the vaccum came out), and a few hours of yoga (which would be fine if she wasn't also doing kickboxing moves). I got roped into yoga when it was still good old fashioned meditation. After one sequence, Bex decided to kick it up a notch.

"Bex!" I ducked from my warrior position when she decided a spontaneous kick into the lunge would spice up the sequence.

"Come one Cam. Add some pep to your step." Well her steps were bouncing back and forth when she was still supposed to be in a lunge position.

"No thanks. Already had my cardio today."

She smirked, "Well anyone crazy enough to wake up at seven on a Saturday to run can certainly add a few kicks to yoga."

I went along with trying to put some pep in my step for about thirty more minutes. I was starting to sweat and probably needed another shower. Bex was only glistening. Some girls have all the luck.

"Hey Cam. I bet I have a deeper splits than you do." I didn't have any doubt about that. I had seen her high kicking just now and she was an avid yoga doer.

"Bex, I know you have a better splits." She pouted while lowering herself into splits position.

"Come on Flash. Relax a little bit." She threw my words back at me and I started trying to slide down. My groin was already straining and I was only half the distance she was.

"I don't see how this is supposed to be relaxing." I couldn't go any further and pulled my feet toward me to fall on my butt. Bex had a winning smile as she sat comfortable in the splits position. She even started stretching outward.

"Come on Cam. You weren't even trying." My hips and groin would like to say otherwise, but I didn't have to argue long. The door opened and Liz and Macey appeared from their afternoon studying.

"Oh good!" I jumped to my feet and already started steering them toward the floor around Bex.

"Bex thinks she has the best splits. Why don't you show her she's wrong while I go shower." Liz looked confused and Macey glared at me.

"Yeah! Lets see your splits." She was resting her elbows on the ground and her head on top of them.

I grabbed my things for the shower and ran towards the end of the hallway, but not before I heard a crash of our floor lamp and a soft, "Oopsie daisy."

After some lather, rinse, and shaving I felt squeaky clean. I threw on a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt before stepping back into our common area.

"Bex! You have to get out of that position and go shower!" Macey was looking stern and pointing down the hall where I stood. Bex just looked like a child in timeout, except her legs were much longer and still sprawled out to her sides.

"I still have two hours." She ignored Macey's glare and started texting. "Besides, Grant's not ready yet."

"But girls take 62% longer to get ready after a shower." Liz was working on her laptop and never even looked up.

"Grant doesn't have your hair, now go."

Bex sighed and pulled her feet together before sulking toward the shower. Macey rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch. She looked completely drained after the small standoff with Bex.

"Hey, um Macey." She opened one eye and peered at me, "So could you help me?"

She covered her eyes with her hands before letting them run down her face and looking at me straight on.

"With what?"

"Well, what would someone where to a bar?"

"Depends on the bar."

"Chance's." Her eyes brightened a little and she started to smile.

"You're going to Chance's?" I nodded my head. I didn't think it was a big deal but Macey pushed off the couch and was already walking toward my room.

"Well first of all, Chance's is more of a sports bar. But a sports bar means guys everywhere and few girls." A sports bar. That can't be too bad, I like sports, I wanted to be a trainer for college afterall. So probably my Red Sox shirt and some shorts. Maybe even a hat, I don't know if that would be pushing it. I frowned when I saw what Macey was pulling out.

"Macey, I am not wearing that! It's a sports bar… with guys!" She held up the skin tight blue dress that belonged to Bex.

"Exactly! With guys!" She was already looking at shoes before I put the dress back and stood arms crossed in front of the closet.

"Macey, I'm not there to hook up with any guys." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms too.

"Cam, when you're one of the only girls there, they just flock to you. And this will make sure they don't go to any of the other girls." I stood firmer.

"No. I'm going there with my friends." Her eyes softened a little.

"Fine, but I'm just saying you're going to get hit on no matter what you wear. So can we at least try to make it a little appealing so the other girls don't talk about you behind their back?"

I stepped aside and let her start rummaging through the closet again.

"Why would they talk about me?" She gave me a knowing look over her shoulder.

"You're going there with five guys. If you don't look hot, they're going to start talking about you. If you look hot, they might be bitches but that just means they're jealous."

Great, so no matter what I would have the girls hate me just because of who I went with.

"Okay, it's a sports bar so you'll fit right in. If you wear this," she held up my Red Sox jersey and I smiled, "You start a good conversation and maybe some fights." I was starting to pull it on over my shirt.

"Stop!" I froze with one arm in the sleeve. "You're not wearing that under it."

She went to her room and my stomach was starting to twist. I knew everything that Macey McHenry owned and almost every piece was not meant for me.

She held up a navy pinstripe tanktop with a pocket. I took it from her hands and examined it.

"I actually love this." She smiled and I pulled it from the hanger before realizing it didn't have a back, just a small piece of lace holding it together.

"Where's the back of this?"

She waved her hand dismissively, "You're covering it up anyway."

She left me to change and came back with a bottle that looked like olive oil, but turned to foam when she turned it into her hand. She thrust her foam filled hand into my damp hair.

"Hey! Why are you putting whipped cream in my hair?" I swatted her hand away, but she just poured more of the oil to foam stuff in her hand.

"It's not whipped cream." She started rubbing it all in.

"What is it?" She paused for a minute thinking of the answer.

"Newest McHenry Cosmetics hair line. Don't ask what's in it…. Just tell me if your scalp starts burning or your hair turns purple." My eyes went wide and I turned toward her.

"Don't worry. Only happened to five consumers during the trial." She gave one more turn of the bottle and did a little scalp massaging. Was it burning? Or was it like when some one says 'lice' and your head itches?

She clapped her hands together twice and gave a nod, "Let this air dry and your waves will be smooth and shiny."

"Do I get a special hair product?" Bex appeared into our room with her hair up in a high bun.

"Not this stuff. You're hair is fine." I couldn't help but feel a little hurt. Was my hair not fine? I mean I know it's a little frizzy when it rains, but it normally just did its thing.  
"But you do get a special, smudge proof, kiss proof," she winked, "atomic bomb proof lipstick. Now change and come sit out in the living room."

Macey then turned to me, "Bring your makeup and we'll work on that while Bex is getting ready. Can you do a loose braided crown on Bex?"

"Of course. Only the best for our Duchess."

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All of Bex's panicking came to a sudden halt when there was a knock at the door. Instead of pacing around clutching her purse, she stopped and her hands trembled.

"He's here! What do I do?" Her eyes were wide and she looked afraid, a look that completely contrasted how she dressed. Her outfit gave her the look of don't mess with me or I'll kick your ass.

"Why don't you answer the door?" She stared at the door and wasn't moving yet. Macey gave her a push and she stumbled a little before reaching the door and taking a deep breath. She was greeted with a gaping Grant with a single red rose.

Macey opened her mouth to say something but I nudged her side. Macey was a strong believer that flowers should always come in a dozen, and it was much too tacky to get roses. But I thought it was still romantic and Bex was swooning.

"Wow. You look…." There were a lot of ways that sentence could have ended but Bex pushed her lips against his quickly. Yeah that about summed it up.

"Let me go put my rose in my room." Grant stood by the door and watched her go.

"So Grant, what are your intentions with Rebecca." Even though Macey was not the maternal one, she always took the role for parent interrogation.

He looked a little nervous. Being in college usually meant that the parent interrogation could be avoided.

"Well, some bowling and maybe ice cream after."

"And what time will you have her back?" He really looked puzzled.

"One am?" Macey pursed her lips.

"Make it midnight." I stifled a laugh. Even Macey was never here at midnight on a Saturday. If she broke her curfew no one would ever know. Macey leaned forward and patted Grant on the shoulder while shaking his hand. I saw the green of a one dollar bill.

"Buy her some extra caramel," Macey whispered to him. He looked flustered as he tried to comprehend what just happened. Bex then appeared and looked between them. They stood by the door but no one was moving yet. They were never this awkward around each other. Maybe the awkwardness was from the whole situation.

"Okay have fun you two. You will be missed at Chance's tonight." Grant was finally shaken out of his stupor.

"Oh yeah. I'm not missing much. Besides, they have you now." He reached for the door knob and finally everything returned to normal. They were smiling and put his hand on the small of her back and lead her out the door. They both said a short goodbye and pushed out the door, desperate to get away from whatever just happened in here.

When the door was shut I turned on Macey, "Really. You had to slip him a dollar."

She just smirked, "I had to see if he was worthy."

"And," Liz asked beside her.

"Well I disapprove of the rose, but other than that he passed."

I don't think there would ever be any boy that ever one hundred percent passed Macey's tests. Almost every week Macey found something about Josh that wasn't right. Whoever ends up with Macey McHenry will have to pass her tests with flying colors or fail miserably on the small ones.

"What time are you leaving, Cam?" I looked at the time. It was just past seven.

"I don't know. Maybe in about thirty minutes."

"You could always go up now." Now that Bex was gone everything was calm again. There wasn't any yoga or frantic makeup applying. I could finally take a deep breath and relax.

"Are you trying to kick me out?" I feigned hurt and she responded with an eyeroll.

"Unless you want to stay in here with me preparing my speech for some gala tomorrow…" Her eyes were hopeful but I was already cringing.

"That sounds like more of a Liz thing." Liz glared at me and sighed.

"I can help if you need it." Macey slung her arm over Liz's shoulder and pulled her in for a hug.

"What a real friend. I wish I had more friends like Liz," she sent a glare at me. I stuck my tongue out at her but was already putting shoes on and ready to go.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Macey winked at me.

"That's not much, Macey."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: New chapter with some more Zammie! Just like in the books their relationship isn't going to be quick. So bear with me for the building of this beautiful relationship. You guys seriously flatter me with your reviews! I love ya'll! Thank you so much and please enjoy!**

Chapter 12

"Do my eyes deceive or is that an angel I see? You're beginning to make a habit out of this, Camster." Lucas was leaning on the doorframe and looking me up and down.

"Maybe I'm your guardian angel that only comes around when you're about to make a bad decision."

"Where were you when I got my mohawk in middle school?"

"Still earning my wings." I fluttered my arms to the side and he pushed the door open.

"So what bad decisions will you stop me from making tonight? Leaving with anyone but you?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"How about I stop you from making the mistake of hitting on me." He clutched his heart.

"That just hurts my heart. How can I not hit on someone that looks as good as you?"

I felt a blush rising in my cheeks. "You're just trying to flatter me." He looked defensive then.

"Am not! Zach," he called down the hallway and Zach came out of his room. "Doesn't Cammie look good?" He looked me over and smirked.

"Well, you don't look hideous." He smirked at me and I blushed more.

"Ditto." He laughed and I couldn't look away. He did look pretty good. He had a plain grey t-shirt that made his muscles stand out and a pair of jeans that hung just right.

"So that's a 'yes' from Zach. Nick what do you think?" Nick came out with a comb in his hair.

"I'm more of an Indians fan, but yeah. Not too bad Morgan." Did we just drop into a parallel universe or something? I did not get hit on. Like ever.

"What is with you guys?"

"What?" Nick shrugged, "You're an attractive girl and Lucas asked. You're going to get hit on a lot tonight so be prepared."

"Yeah, a lot of those guys aren't used to seeing girls at Chance's. And you're fresh meat." I didn't like Lucas's analogy. I didn't want to be fresh meat. I knew how exhausted Macey always was fending off guys, but unlike me she had a look that could kill you if you got on her bad side.

"Don't worry Cammie. We'll protect you." Lucas draped his arm over my shoulder and we started for the door.

"If they get too handsy, I could always pretend to be your boyfriend." He winked at me and I slapped his hand.

"I said no hitting on me." He held his hands up defensively.

"Okay, but really. If they just don't go away we'll help you."

I knew that was true. Someone already did once. I caught Zach's glance for a moment but I looked at the ground. I already knew I could call on Zach to be my fake boyfriend.

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Macey was right. Lucas was right. Every single person that told me what to expect at a bar was right. And I wish they weren't. When we first came in I saw a gaggle of about five girls that were twirling their hair at the bar looking at each of my guys. Then they narrowed their eyes at me and started whispering to each other. The rest of the bar was filled with guys from all ages, from 18 to 52. And Most of them between 18 and 35 took a look at me. One of the younger ones actually licked his lips. And I had just walked into the bar!

Luckily Nick and Lucas paid for the first round while Jonas, Zach, and David ushered me toward the tables next to the pool tables. David and Zach flanked me and one of the eager boys that started walking toward me turned back around. I took in everything about the bar, from the smell of hot wings and beer, to the ripped vinyl on the booth. I immediately decided that if there weren't so many guys here I would love it. Lucas was talking to one of the girls from the gaggle and she was batting her eyelashes and touched his bicep. It was the worst form of flirting but I still admired her confidence. Lucas was smiling but picked up the pitcher of beer and nodded towards where I was sitting. The girl scowled at me but Lucas gave a little wave. The girl huffed and turned back towards her friends. They set the pitchers and cups down at our booth.

"Camster, you are my guardian angel." I raised my eyebrows waiting for him to continue.

"That girl over there has been hitting on me for weeks but one look at you and she stopped." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah but now the only five girls in this bar probably hate me." David shrugged.

"You don't come to this place trying to make girl friends. Besides, you have us."

I had to take a long look at David. I know that we were sort of friends, but he openly included me in the group again. Something about him seemed more relaxed and just all around jolly. Then I remembered our last encounter.

"Did Katie say yes?" Nick slammed down his glass.

"What? You asked Katie out?" Lucas and Zach had the same expression as Nick. David had a faint blush creeping up his neck.

"Yes I did. We're going to the movies on Wednesday." He was smiling and Zach high fived him.

Jonas leaned his elbows on the table and quipped, "Yeah. He spent two hours trying to figure out how to ask her out." David sent a glare at him but he shook it off pretty quickly. Nick raised his glass in the air.

"A toast to David. It took you two months to ask her out but you did it." We all clinked glasses and started in on our pitcher. A few minutes later it was empty.

"I'll get the next round." I walked up to the bar and I felt eyes everywhere. The girls next to me glared but I shot them a smile. I tried ignoring them and just focused on the bartender.

"Can I get another pitcher?" I slid the money onto the counter and he turned away. I felt a presence beside me, leaning back on his elbows.

"Hey." He did the half head nod thing.

"Hi." I started fidgeting waiting for the pitcher.

"Do you go to Georgetown?" He looked like he was about my age. Probably a student too.

"Yeah. What about you?"

"Yeah. I'm a history major." He smiled and turned so only one elbow was on the counter now. "You know in my last class we were learning about important dates. Want to be one of them?" He flashed a grin but I just started laughing. He eventually was laughing with me too.

"Okay, that was probably the cheesiest thing I've heard." He leaned closer.

"Did it work?" Was he serious? Sure he made me laugh, but at him not with him.

"Sorry, no." The bartender came back and slid the pitcher across the counter. I grabbed it and history guy was still standing there.

"Should I try another line?" I was already walking away.

"Sorry history buff. You already know history usually repeats itself."

My table of guys gave a light round of applause when I reached the table.

"Nicely done Morgan."

"Yeah, you shut him down in a witty way, but didn't make him feel worthless. 10 out of 10 would be rejected by you again."

"Whatever. Who's ready for some pool?" Nick and Jonas were already grabbing four sticks from the corner.

"Really Gallagher Girl. Now you're going to show off your skills. Give the other girls a chance." He smirked and waved at the five girls who were oogling at him. I glared at them and grabbed the stick from Jonas.

"Maybe they should try harder."

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We played three rounds so far and I've been hit on five times. One guy put his hand on my ass while I was about to make a shot so I shoved the stick into his gut. Nick was about to leap across the table and start a fight. David glared at the guy and pushed him back toward his table. Yeah it was frustrating, but it was nice to know I had five guys that had my back.

"Come on David. Just need this last shot." I paired up with David for the third game against Zach and Lucas. He focused on the eight ball and in one fluid movement the eight ball glided across the table into the nearest pocket. We high fived and Zach and Lucas hung their heads.

Zach sighed, "Alright that's the second game I lost. I need a break." He handed his stick off to Nick. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket so I handed my stick off to Jonas.

 _Bex: How's Chance's?_

I typed a quick reply: Too many guys.

 _Bex: Where's the problem? ;)_

I rolled my eyes and was about to reply when it buzzed again.

 _Bex: Gotta go. Grant is catching up in the game. Can't let that happen._

Zach scooted into the booth next to me.

"Is that Bex?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?" He smirked.

"Grant just texted me. He says Bex is hot when she's competitive."

"Well then he's in luck. Bex is always competitive." He gave a half laugh.

"I'll let him know." It got quiet and my leg started fidgeting. We watched the pool game, but I felt tension in the air.

"Soooooo Red Sox fan, huh." Zach glanced at my jersey.

"Born and raised." I beamed.

"Don't let Grant see that jersey. He's die hard Yankees fan. We had to make him sit in another room when we watched the game at Blackthorne." His voice was lighthearted and it was nice having him offer up information about his past. I really didn't know much about him.

"Are you a Sox fan?" Please say yes.

"Yeah. I used to go to some games as a kid. I had the best time of my life at those games." His smile was warm.

"I know what you mean. One time I went with my dad and we ate so much popcorn and cotton candy. He almost dropped me reaching for a foul ball." I smiled thinking of the memory.

"Sounds like a good father." I smiled but I felt the tingle behind my eyes.

"He was." He didn't have to ask what 'was' meant. Everyone always knows what that means.

"Next time the Sox take on those damn Yankees you have to come over and watch it with us." He was trying to smile a little too much, just to get me to smile.

"Deal. Anything to torment a Yankees fan."

We sat talking about the best Red Sox games and players. It just came out naturally. I didn't notice we were drawing closer together until I laughed so hard I leaned forward and my head was on his shoulder. I backed up and blushed a little but he was still so close. I looked over to the pool table and they were so focused on their game they didn't see the interaction.

I turned and took a drink from my glass to hide my blush. I looked up and saw one of the girls walking by and winked at Zach. He gave a little wave with a smirk and I scowled.

"Really? That's your type?"

He turned back to me and looked innocently, "What?"

I rolled my eyes, "The tight dress and bleach blonde hair. If her dress was cut any lower her push up bra would be falling out."

He smirked at me and leaned in again, "Gallagher Girl are you jealous?"

"Of Barbie? No." I folded my arms. He leaned right next to my ear.

"Just so you know Gallagher Girl. I like dirty blondes." I think all the air left my lungs and I was just frozen looking into his intense eyes. They were teasing and inviting. The gap was closing between us. My phone vibrated on the table and he pulled back. He looked down at his hands and I finished off my drink.

 _Bex: I totally won :)_

I wanted to throw the phone across the room. It broke whatever trance I was in and I didn't want to think what would have happened if it hadn't.

I cleared my throat, "Bex won." He tried to smirk but there was still a tension between us.

"Grant probably let her win."

"Oh. Bex wouldn't let anyone just _let_ her win." He was back to his normal smirk and was already sliding out of the booth.

"It's a win-win for both of them. I'm going to get back and play next game."

Jonas was already staring between us and passed the stick to Zach. I was kind of hoping he would let me sit by myself, but of course he slid next to me and studied me. I felt like bacteria under a microscope. Unlike bacteria, I could talk.

"That wasn't anything," I blurted out. Jonas still looked skeptical but sat silently. "I didn't even know we were that close. But nothing was going to happen."

"I didn't say anything was going to happen." I blushed and he smiled at my discomfort.

"We're just friends." I felt like I needed to get the words out.

"Yeah. I know." I don't know why but the words hurt a little. I mean I knew I was just friends with Zach, but after a week of Macey and Bex saying he liked me, it was weird hearing someone agree with me.

"So he told you he doesn't like me like that?" Jonas contemplated the question. Even I knew there really wasn't a good answer.

"I'm not going to lie and say none of us have talked about you." I blushed thinking of the guys talking about me, and I hoped it wasn't as vulgar as I thought. "Nothing too inappropriate. Just trying to figure you out really."

"Figure me out?" Now I definitely felt like bacteria.

"You're interesting, Cammie. You just came up to five guys and blended right into the group like you belonged there. And truth be told we like having you here." I smiled at that. "So we had a few conversations about you. Lucas doesn't get why you're single, but I said you're not ready for a commitment."

"Gee, thanks."

"The point is, Zach has always been interested by you. He doesn't say he likes you, and he still says you're just friends." My heart dropped a little. Why? That is a good thing.

"See. So we're just friends." Jonas just gave a half laugh.

"For now. Cammie, I may be an engineering student, but I still know chemistry when I see it." My jaw dropped a little. He laughed at my discomfort.

"Look, I'm not saying you're going to date, but just think before you do anything. It will change everything." I looked at the group of guys. Nick and Lucas were cheering and Lucas flexed at me.

"Did you see that Cammie? I'm kicking ass." I laughed at his antics and thought about how I've only known them a week, but I knew how important they were. I gripped Jonas's hand and looked him in the eyes.

"I promise I'm not going to change anything." He gave me a soft smile but something in his eyes told me he didn't believe it.

I looked at Zach and he caught me staring. He smirked at me before looking back at the table. Jonas saw where I was staring and patted my shoulder.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you guys! I hope ya'll enjoyed a little Zammie moment. Like in the books, the relationship won't happen quickly. Cammie is still getting over Josh, whether she knows it or not. And we all know they both have a past. I can't wait to get to the big moments, but we have to be patient. Enjoy the lucky 13th chapter!**

Chapter 13

I was definitely tipsy. And hungry.

"Are we going to get pizza tonight?"

"Yes!" Lucas cheered and was already walking toward the door.

"Hey slow down Lukey." Lucas stopped but he didn't see the girls next to him. One was already touching his bicep and he looked flustered and tried to walk back toward us, but she was persistent.

 _Oh hell no! No girl can get away with that!_

I drained my glass and walked towards the girl. I wish I was going faster but my legs felt like jelly.

"Lukey!" I lunged between him and the girl and attached myself to his side. He looked even more confused and the girl glared.

"Lucas are we about to leave? I'm sooooo ready to go home." I tried sounding flirtations but it just sounded like I was about to throw up.

"Oh…uhm yeah Cammie. Leaving right now." The other guys got the hint and were already out the door. Lucas was stumbling a little toward the door. I followed him but then this girl wasn't done.

"What a slut." I stuttered to a stop and turned. My warm fuzzy feeling from the alcohol turned cold as I narrowed my eyes at her.  
"Excuse me?" She started walking toward me in her five inch heels.

"Oh I'm sorry. Didn't you hear me? I said you were a slut." Her words cut into me. I had never ever been called that in my life. And I wasn't going to let this little predator girl get away with it. I walked closer so we were nose to nose.

"I would think about taking that back." She pretended to look scared.

"Sorry no." She pouted then narrowed her eyes. "I had my eyes on Lucas for weeks. Then you just stroll in and take him away."

I huffed, "I didn't realize Lucas was claimed because you saw him. I guess that means I claimed Brad Pitt since I saw him in a movie once." She didn't find my joke humorous. "I saw how you bounced from guy to guy. First it was Lucas, then Bradley, and then you were looking cozy with Cady's guy." I was really starting to hate how she was just claiming these guys. They had no interest in them and now I was paying for it. "I don't know what else to call you." She glared at me and lifted her finger to touch my nose, "You. Are. A. Slut."

In an instant I grabbed her finger and twisted it away from me. She yelped in pain, but I pushed her toward her other friends. She stumbled in her heels and the bleach blonde, Cady, caught her wrist before she fell. Barbie turned to glare at me too and started running at me in her heels. Damn. I forgot about the rest of the set.

Cady's hand grabbed my hair and she was cursing at me. I grabbed her wrist and tried to pry her fingers free.

"Did Zach shut you down? Is that why you're leaving with Lucas," she spat out while scratching my arm, Anger bubbled up inside of me and I pushed harder this time. She went tumbling onto the ground. I felt a tug on my arm and saw Lucas pulling at my arm.

The original girl stood with the rest and smirked.

"I bet your dad would be really proud of you."

I snapped and turned back toward the smirking girl. Before I could reach them the whole world went upside down. I was dangling from Zach's shoulder as he walked away from the girls toward the door. I kicked and squirmed trying to release myself from his shoulder. He gripped me tighter.

"Gallagher Girl, stop. They're not worth it." I felt tears forming in my eyes and I wanted to tear her apart. For calling me a slut because I was friends with guys. For acting like she was any better than I was. For bringing up my dad. She didn't know but it didn't matter. I wanted her to hurt.

The cold air hit me. It was warm earlier but now I regretted wearing shorts. It hit me like a slap and I stopped kicking. Zach dropped me to my feet and four of the guys were staring at me. David walked back out of the bar and shook his head.

"Cammie, are you okay?" David looked really concerned and I wasn't sure if he meant mentally or physically.

"I'm fine," I gritted through my teeth.

"What happened?" The guys didn't hear what she said. They looked clueless. Except David, he looked pissed.

I felt my eyes burning again. "I am not a slut."

Jonas's eyes went wide and Nick glared towards the doors again.

"Of course you aren't Cammie." Lucas sounded earnest.

"No one has ever called me that. I wasn't going to let her." My fists clenched. My anger was back and I wanted to find her again.

"Well," David sighed. "The bar owner saw what happened. He told the other girls they can't come back, but you have a weeks suspension."

Great. My first time there and I was already kicked out.

"At least they can't come back." Lucas looked relieved. "And one week isn't too bad. I'll stay home with you during your house arrest." The mood started to lighten and I almost wanted to laugh.

"No, you don't have to. You guys can still go. I'll just catch up with you next week."

"No way!" Lucas shook his head defiantly. "I got you into this mess, what kind of friend would I be if I let my little jail bird sit at home alone."

"She doesn't have to stay home. She just can't come here."

"It's simple guys," Jonas shrugged, "we just go to Grant's party next week."

They all nodded around the circle.

"I can handle that for a week." They all agreed. Nick started to smile.

"Cammie, I don't know if your MMA performance will drive away or attract more guys." The rest of them were laughing but I cringed. Hopefully it will drive them away. I already got hit on too many times tonight.

David started complementing on my good pushing form while Lucas and Nick were betting how many of them I could've taken out. It was funny, but I didn't feel like laughing. The last thing the girl said still burned in my mind. Those words that my mom told me every Sunday suddenly turned bitter when they came from her mouth.

"Alright, who's ready for pizza," Lucas bellowed and started for the cars. Jonas got the keys while Nick and David followed. Only Zach saw that I wasn't really following. I was still frozen in place and shivering. Zach looked at me warily.

"Not tonight. I think I'm going to head back." Nick looked puzzled from Zach's words.

"How are you going to get back?" Nick was already walking back towards Zach.

"Can I drive your truck?" Nick shook his head and gave a small laugh.

"You drive this truck more than I do." Zach grabbed the keys from his hand.

"Someone has to go back with Zach. My car only holds four." Jonas was already looking at me, expecting my answer.

"I'll go. I probably need to get home anyway." None of them argued.

"Alright slugger. See you next week." Lucas waved while he slipped into the shot gun seat. We started towards Nick's truck and Jonas was still looking at me worriedly.

"Put some ice on your arm. She scratched pretty hard."

Was there ice I could put on my heart? She scratched that pretty hard too.

00000000000000000

The truck was quiet as we drove along and the words kept repeating in my head. They hurt more than the scratches on my arms and the hair pulling. The scratches would heal but I knew that words, especially those, would stick around forever.

"Hey Gallagher Girl?" I was startled out of my thoughts and Zach's eyes were focused on me. "Are you okay?"

Was I okay? I hated that question. I've been asked it about a million times and there was never a real answer. How could I be okay? Maybe when I was a kid I was truly okay, but things change. I had a sneaking feeling no one was ever really 'okay'.

"I'm fine." His intense gaze just bore into me.

"You're shaking." I was shaking. I thought it was from the cold, but I didn't feel that anymore. I didn't even have time to tell him that before he was digging through the backseat and giving me a sweatshirt.

"Put this on." I smiled but I didn't need it.

"No really, I'm fine." He just shook his head and laughed a little.

"Cammie, it's forty five degrees outside and still dropping. And you're wearing shorts and a short sleeve. Put it on." I obliged and already felt the shaking stop. I wasn't really cold, but the sweatshirt felt like a hug. When we parked I didn't want to get out of the truck. It was warm and I could've fallen asleep there. But Zach was already opening my door and helping me out.

I was thankful for the sweatshirt when I got out. It had dropped a few more degrees and my legs started shaking, but the sweatshirt was warm and comforting. It smelled good and was soft from being worn often. It reminded me of the sweatshirt my mom still wears. The one that belonged to dad at a time, but I had only ever seen him wear it twice. After he died mom cried over it and gripped it as tight as she could, holding on to any piece of him we had left.  
The tears started burning behind my eyes. Was the girl right? I don't think I would have made dad proud tonight. He would have chided me for starting a physical fight. He would have said I shouldn't have been drinking. He would have been disappointed. And that thought made my tears fall silently. They were hidden well until we got into the hallway.

"Gallagher Girl?" I tried wiping them away to hide them, but of course he already saw. He was already closer to me and wiping away a tear from my cheek and his eyebrows furrowed together. I hated how vulnerable I felt. And I hated that Zach was the one to always see me in these situations. He backed away a little and crossed his arms, waiting for me to talk.

"She was right." My voice cracked at the end.

"Cammie, no."

"She was Zach. My dad wouldn't have wanted me to fight. He would have-"

"Been proud that you stood up for yourself." I felt another tear falling and he reached for it again but I pulled away and wiped it with the sleeve.

He smirked a litte, "Gallagher Girl, I'm just trying to save my sweatshirt from your tears." I cringed and started taking it off.

"No, I don't need it. You can keep it for now." That was probably a lie. I could tell he wore it a lot, but I curled my fists into the sleeves and he smiled.

"He would be proud of you. I mean that was one hell of a push. That girl toppled right over." I laughed a little and he smiled.

"Well, she said some pretty nasty things." I started getting angry again.

"What did she say?" He knew what the first girl said, but Cady got most of my anger. I wasn't really sure why, maybe because she was the one that actually hurt me.

"She was angry that I was friends with you. She has some type of claim or something." His eyes grew darker and he had a small tug on his lips.

"Trust me, Gallagher Girl. No one has a claim over me."

The air between us grew still again. I felt like we were in that booth again and there wasn't a phone to distract me now. He wasn't moving any closer but I felt myself being drawn forward. His eyes flickered to my lips but he moved away. I froze.

"Good night Gallagher Girl."

I stood outside my door as he disappeared up the stairs. Bex was already in bed asleep so I changed into my pajamas and pulled the sweatshirt back on. I let the warmth hug me as I drifted off to sleep, hoping the thoughts would wait until the morning.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Alright guys, this one is a long one. And it's packed with early Zammie tension. Again, I do not advise underage drinking, and Cammie might learn a lesson in what happens when you drink too much. Enjoy my lovelies!**

Chapter 14

"Come on Cammie. We're up next!" Macey gripped my hand and started dragging me toward the table, but I pulled back.

"Macey, do I really have to play? What about Bex?" She looked around thoughtfully.

"Wow, what a brilliant idea Cameron. Ground breaking really. Except one problem, Bex disappeared with Grant ten minutes ago."

"Hey, she said she would be back." Macey just gave me a pointed look.

"Yeah, sure she will." She started dragging me toward the table again and I didn't resist as much. "Come on Cammie, you're all I have."

"That's a great vote of confidence in me. 'You're all I have'," I mimicked and now Macey stopped and faced me.

"Cameron." She had a strict voice like my mother.

"Macey." I returned the tone like I heard my Aunt do many times before. I know I was an only child, but I think I was getting pretty good at the sisterly annoyance because Macey just sighed.

"Cammie, please. You were my best girl at Gallagher and I know you still have it in you." I held my chin high with pride.

"I'll show you what a last choice can do." I marched up to the table and looked around.

"Who's next?" When the spectators spotted Macey, they averted their eyes. She became somewhat of a legend over the past few weeks. She was barely ever beaten and everyone knew she liked a high stakes game. We were in position but the other side stayed empty.

"Oh come on." Macey slumped her shoulders but I started to feel relieved at the thought of getting out of the game. "I'll play with my left hand!" A few spectators looked to their partners curious of what they thought, but it stayed silent. Until one voice broke through.

"Everyone knows you're ambidextrous." Preston Winters pushed through the crowd, "But I'll take my chances." He grinned at Macey.

"Really Winters, haven't you had enough?" She coked her hip in his direction.

"Not even close." The boy that was with him last time looked pissed as he punched Preston's shoulder. He lowered his voice, but we could still hear.

"I'm not playing her again. She texted my girlfriend last time we lost."

Preston sighed at his partner's refusal.

"I'll play by myself." Macey crossed her arms.

"You can't. This is a team sport, so find a partner or take a hike."

I was starting to feel the hope bubble up in me. I would be able to go and be free without playing beer pong. But I was foolish to hope.

"I'll play." My eyes betrayed me because Zach took his place next to Preston and smirked at me.

"Zach," my voice was low as I said his name.

Macey's eyes light up as she smiled while looking between us.

"Alright! What are the stakes?" Macey clapped her hands together before anyone could back out. Some one from the crowd shouted an outrageous amount of money but Macey just shook her head. Preston leaned on the table like he did when he was trying to flirt.

"If we win, we have dinner next Friday." I heard a flaw in his stakes and I couldn't help myself.

"I'm sure you and Zach would have a lovely time at dinner together. Make sure you save room for dessert." Zach had an amused smirk and shook his head but Preston looked embarrassed.

"Uh sorry man. This one was for me. Is there anything you want?" He looked at me with an intense gaze.

"I'll let you know if we win." Preston took a deep breath and looked at Macey.

"And what are your terms?" She put a finger to the corner of her mouth as she hummed in thought.

"Hmmmm what else could I get out of Preston Winters?" She perked up and whispered in my ear and I nodded eagerly.

"Ok if we win, you have to spend one week with my mother to organize Thanksgiving gala!" Preston's face paled but he shook it off.

"McHenry, are you trying to get me to meet your parents?"

"After a week with my mother, you won't want anything to do with my family."

"Deal." He took the ball from the edge of the table and gave it to Zach. I had never seen him play this, but I hoped he wouldn't be that great. He took the ball and he looked at our triangle of cups. He shot it with a follow through and it sank into my corner cup. I glowered at him as I fished the ball out.

"Drink up, Gallagher Girl."

000000000000000

We still had three cups left and the guys only had one. It was Macey's turn and the ball bounced off the side of the cup. I looked at her in disbelief but she had an unreadable mask on.

"Make sure to dress nice Mace." Preston picked up the ball and it splashed in the cup without hitting the sides. He gave her a grin and she tried her best to look annoyed. She drank the cup and huffed. Preston leaned across the table.

"So, you want to play again?" She looked down at the table then between Preston and Zach. Her smile turned wicked.

"Sure, but we need a change of teams."

"One bad game and you're ditching me?" She smirked and glanced at Zach.  
"You weren't bad. I just think you will do better with another partner." She was already moving around the table and pushing Zach towards the other side. He just walked around and settled next to me, his arm inches away.

"Much better," she smirked at me and Preston was grinning at her.

"Alright Macey, what do you have in mind?" She had a reason for this arrangement I was sure, but I had no idea what it was. As far as everyone was concerned, she loathed Preston Winters. And now she was volunteering to play with him.

She gave me a smirk, "Losers have to make out for five minutes." Preston's grin widened and Zach rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.

"What is this? High school?" I rolled my eyes at the juvenile dare. She just smirked at me.

"I don't remember you complaining in high school." My face felt really hot and I wanted to hide myself under the table.

"Fine but if anyone looks like they are trying to lose," I gave a pointed look at Preston, "Then they have to streak through the quad." I shook hands with Macey and we took our positions. Macey handed the ball to Preston who looked so intensely at the cups, I thought they might have some type of government secrets written on the side. He let the ball sail through the air and I half expected him to throw the game, but it bounced around the side before sinking. Zach picked up the cup but he hesitated.

"I can drink for you if you want." He looked around warily.

"I can do it." I just shrugged.

"I know you can. But I also know that you're always a driver. Consider it payment for your last win." He smirked and leaned closer to me ear.

"Well that's not as fun as what I had in mind. But if you insist." The hairs on my neck were standing up and I felt my hand start shaking. I took the cup from him and our fingers brushed, causing my hand to shake more. I downed the cup to calm my nerves. Preston took the ball back and sunk another cup. This was going to be a long game.

00000000000000000

"Alright Cammie, your turn."

I felt myself swaying and the cups weren't in focus. There should still be three but I was seeing six or seven. Zach was surprisingly good at this game but we were still behind. I closed my eyes and threw the ball, hoping to hear the splash.

There was a cheer and I looked up to see Macey downing the cup.

"Alright Gallagher Girl, we're still one cup behind. Just do what you just did."

I turned to look at him but I stumbled and he caught me before I fell.

"I don't think I could if I tried." He steadied my shoulders and squared me to face the last two cups. I tried focusing on just one of them and I took my shot. Macey laughed hysterically as the ball shot off the table completely. It wasn't even close. But Zach was now.

"Really Gallagher Girl, if you wanted to make out you just need to ask. No point in throwing the game." I'm sure my face must have been a mix of red and green. My stomach was twisting in a knot out of embarrassment.

Preston had the ball but he was swaying back and forth. He had been taking most of the drinks for Zach in the first game, so I knew he must have been reaching his limit too. He took a shot and it bounced off the rim. Zach took the ball and it sunk into the cup. The crowd cheered and Macey looked nervous.

"One cup left Zach. You can do it." He focused in on the cup and it sailed through the air. I heard the sound of it spinning around on the inside of the cup before it flew back out. Macey gave a breath of relief and Zach was staring at the cup in disbelief. I gave a half laugh.

"Really Blackthorne Boy, if you wanted to make out you just needed to ask." I stumbled into him and he smirked as I was steadying myself. He locked me in his arms around the table and leaned closer. I was having trouble focusing, but I could see his eyes clearly. They were lighting up and one side had a crinkle from his smirk.

"Is that so?" He towered over me and we were already too close. I didn't hear the crowd anymore and his hand brushed my side as he moved it back toward him. I could've melted to the ground right there, and probably would have if his other arm wasn't still on the other side of my waist.

"Hey lovebirds. Game's not over yet." Macey had a hand on her hip as she shook the ball at us. Zach gently nudged my hip to turn me around to face the table again. Macey looked confident and didn't even look tipsy. She gave me a smirk and refocused on the table. I glanced at Zach and was already imagining what his lips would feel like. Would he be rough? Or would he be awkward about it since this was all for a game? What was he thinking?

Macey was practicing her wrist flicking that I had seen her do about a thousand times. I noticed the cup that was left was usually one that she always sank on the first shot. She gave one more flex and flicked the ball toward the cup. I held my breath as it sailed over the net and bounced half an inch behind the cup. Zach's shoulder's relaxed as he gave the ball to me. I held it and kept staring at Macey in disbelief. I had seen her make that shot plenty of times, there was no reason she would have missed it. I kept eye contact with her and she just shrugged and I thought I saw her give a slight wink. She quickly shook it off and acted like she was annoyed. Preston's attitude didn't really change much, I'm guessing he didn't really care if he won or lost. And then I asked myself, did I want to win or lose?

I looked over at Zach who was still staring at the cup. He probably felt me openly staring at him because he looked over at me. He didn't say anything, just offered a small smile. He nodded toward the cup, signaling for me to shoot.

I was staring at the cup that seemed to move around the table. With my eyes open, there wasn't a chance to make it. But with my eyes closed, I could let the fates decide. I covered my eyes with one hand and held the ball up. I felt my wrist flick and waited for a reaction from the crowd. I heard them cheer so I opened my eyes.

Preston was staring at the cup with the ball floating at the top. He didn't have much time though because Macey grabbed his face and smashed her lips on to his quickly. He quickly turned red from the crowds hooting and hollering. Macey was pulling him away from the crowd and Preston must have been in a daze. He followed her but he was still looking at the table in disbelief with a goofy grin on his face. Yeah, Macey definitely missed on purpose.

The crowd was still laughing and a few departed but the rest were still pushed against the table. Some were staring at me and I felt that the room was getting too hot.

"Umm Zach." He was staring at where the two disappeared through the crowds but he turned his focus to me. He was still giving me a small smile that I tried to return but then my stomach felt like it was twisting. He quickly frowned and was already taking my hand and leading me through the crowd. I tried to avoid eye contact with everyone. No one wants to look at strangers when you feel like you're about to puke, or crying. I felt a tear drip down my cheek and knew I really didn't want to make eye contact. I focused on the back of Zach's head and out intertwined hands. They were warm and strong. He wasn't going to lose my grip through the crowds and that thought was comforting.

When we got outside of the house, he still had a hold of my hand. Only then did he look back at me and I could see the worry in his eyes.

"I'm fine Zach. Just don't feel very good." My stomach was still twisting and I felt sweat starting to bead on my forehead. I wasn't shaking yet though.

"I shouldn't have let you drink that much." He still had my hand as he walked toward Nick's truck.

"How are the other's getting home?" He looked back at me again and dropped my hand as he opened the door.

"Don't worry about them. They will find a way." He shut my door and I kept thinking of how every weekend I've spent with them, it was always Nick and Jonas's cars. When Zach got into the driver's seat, the question I had asked in my mind blurted out.

"Do you have a car?" He gave a small laugh as he buckled himself in.

"No." I slumped in the seat a little. "I have a motorcycle."

I felt a smile cross my face as I had a mental image of Zach in a leather jacket. It suited him and added to his hotness. Not that I thought he was really hot. Just that other girls would think he was really hot.

"Why don't you ever take that?"

"Because that would only fit me and one other person. And I don't really want Lucas wrapping his arms around me." I nodded and smiled at that mental image.

"I've never been on a motorcycle." I was sinking into the side of the seat and wanted to close my eyes and hope that all the dizziness would go away.

"Maybe I'll take you for a ride. When you're not about to puke." I felt sick again and closing my eyes made it worse. I folded my knees to my chest and tried to focus on that. I've never gotten sick from drinking before, but I remember Macey mentioning trying to find a still thing to focus on.

It was working until we turned and ran over the speed bumps in the parking lot. After the second one I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped my stomach. I swatted for the switch to open the window and it was open half way before I stuck my head out the window and I gagged. Nothing came out but I saw three more speed bumps we would have to go over and I curled back up.

"Three more, Cammie. Do you think you can do it?" I peaked over my knees and nodded. The truck started rolling forward slowly and I took a deep breath of the fresh air from the window. The bumps rattled my stomach and I gripped my legs pulling them closer to my chest. Everything felt like it was spinning still so I clenched my eyes shut. I kept taking deep breaths to calm the shaking. I stayed like that until two arms went around me and scooped me up.

"I can walk." Even though I said this I made no effort to move and honestly I wasn't even sure how true that was.

"I know you can." He set me down when we reached the outside door and my legs felt like jelly. I almost fell but he supported me with one arm while he dug for his keys with the other.

"You still think you can walk?" He was smirking. It was obvious that I couldn't and it almost hurt me as much to say that I couldn't than to actually try. I shook my head and he looked too smug.

"Alright hop on my back. I'll never be able to open the door without hands."

I reluctantly wrapped my arms around his neck and he had to squat so I could get my legs up. Given the aforementioned jelly feeling, I didn't have much strength to keep them tightened so Zach had to hold my legs above his hips. It was a lot bumpier this way and my stomach was feeling it. Thank god I'm on the first floor. I buried my head in his shoulder.

"You okay?" I gave a little nod and he kept walking down my hallway. I mentally counted how many doors we should have passed and he stopped in front of my door.

"Have your keys?" I let go and slumped against the wall while I dug in my pocket for my key. I was going to try to put them in the lock but Zach already took them from my hands.

"I can do it," I pouted. He smirked at me again and held the keys back toward me.

"Okay, here you go." He backed away as I slumped against my door trying to get the key into the lock. I had a hard enough time doing this sober and now I missed it left and right. When I finally dropped them to the floor Zach stepped in.

"As amusing as this is, I think you need to get inside." In one motion he unlocked the door and swung it open. It was empty as expected and now my room seemed so far away and my clothes were too hot. I slowly started walking toward my room and Zach was on one side of me ready to support me. I was doing pretty good, but these damn shoes felt too heavy. I dropped to the ground and started unlacing them. Zach dropped faster and was checking to see if I was conscious.

"Gallagher Girl."

"It's so hot." I threw one of my shoes toward my room and started taking off my jacket. I tried getting up and Zach grabbed my elbow to lift me. I saw my favorite pair of pajama shorts and wanted them on. These jeans were too tight anyway. Not at all comfy. I was in the middle of unzipping when my legs felt like jelly again. I sat on my bed and huffed.

"Zach," He turned away from the hallway and saw me holding up my shorts, "Help."

He was frozen by the door and kept staring at me.

"You don't want me to do that." I crossed my arms and huffed again.

"I can't do it. I can't do anything." My voice cracked and he frowned as he walked toward me slowly and took the shorts. He unlaced my other shoe and put it with its pair. I lifted my arms so he could reach my waist. His hands were light and made sure just to touch as little skin as possible but there was still a brush against my hip and goosebumps shot up from the contact. He focused on my jeans as he tried slipping them from my hips.

"Lift up." I did and the jeans started rolling down my thighs.

"Guess you get to see my underwear afterall," I joked but he didn't smirk or try to flirt. He was still serious as he slipped my jeans off my ankles and shimmed up my shorts. My legs could breath again and I was starting to cool off. I laid back on my bed and waited for everything to settle down.

"Anything else you need?" Zach was already in the hallway, ready to leave.

"Zach." His eyes were dark now, not as playful as before. He looked worried.

"Yeah, Gallagher Girl?" I felt my throat tightening up.

"Stay."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Okay, so compared to last chapter this one is really short. I'm hoping to get a quick update but I'm in the process of moving and training for my big girl job. I can't wait for the future chapters coming up. And for Zach and Cammie to finally figure out their feelings! They're still dancing around them right now, but definitely growing closer. Enjoy!**

Chapter 15

 _"Help! Please someone!" I was running through the parking lot and there wasn't a soul in sight. My eyesight was blurring as I searched. Finally I made it to the entrance of the circus where a security guard stood post. I tugged his arm and he barley acknowledged me._

 _"Help! I need help!" He glanced down at me after my screaming._

 _"What's wrong? Are you lost?"_

 _I pulled on his arm again, trying to tug him toward dad._

 _"It's my dad. I think something's wrong." I was still tugging and he was resisting trying to pull out his walkie talkie. He muttered some type of code, hopefully one that would send more help._

 _I was trying to pull him and run but he was just muttering encouraging words that I knew wouldn't be true. Why did we have to park so far away?_

 _When the big guy wasn't going fast enough I dropped his arm and started sprinting, hoping he would chase after me. I ran as fast as I could then I came to a halt and fell to my knees. A scream escaped from me and the guard was there then._

 _"I need reinforcements now!" He dove to my father that was unresponsive on the ground. My world stopped then and I couldn't turn away. Not when the first responders arrived. Not when one tried talking to me. Not when they put my father in the back of the ambulance and shocked his chest. The only time I looked away was to see the flat line on the screen._

"No!" I jerked upward in my bed with sweat and tears. I curled my knees to my chest and steadied my breathing. My head was pounding and my stomach was swirling.

"Gallagher Girl?" My door swung open and I jumped at the impact on the wall. The light from the hallway hurt my eyes so I buried them in my knees again. The door shut and the light went away, but I knew I wasn't alone and couldn't look up yet. I felt my bed shift at the end and there was a hand on mine rubbing small circles on the back of it.

"Cammie." My tears continued to fall and my shoulders shook.

"I couldn't stop it." My voice cracked and I kept shaking. The bed shifted again so now Zach was next to me. He rubbed circles on my back trying to calm me, but this wasn't going to be over anytime soon.

"What's wrong?"

"I couldn't save him. My dad needed me and I wasn't fast enough." I was sobbing harder and curled up tighter until I was almost in a ball. Zach's arms went around my ball form and he pulled me close so my head was on his chest. He let me cry until I couldn't anymore. It felt like I was crying for hours, but eventually my breathing steadied. When I slowed down he put his hand on my cheek and lifted my head to look at him.

"It's not your fault." My heart felt like it was swelling and breaking all at the same time.

"If I was faster I could've gotten help. He could have had more time." He shook his head at me.

"Cammie, stop. It's not your fault and he wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

He looked sincere and I wanted to believe him. I couldn't blame myself anymore, but it seemed like the easiest thing to do. My dad was gone because I couldn't find help faster. If the ambulance got here sooner than maybe his heart still would have been pumping and mine wouldn't be shattered.

Zach's had was still on my cheek and in the dark, with the moonlight slicing through the blinds, his face was illuminated. His hair was a mess and he still had sleep clinging to the corners of his eyes.

"Did I wake you up?" He dropped his hand and looked around the room.

"Uh no. I was still awake." From his dishelved hair, I knew that was a lie. I smoothed part of his hair down and he smiled slightly.

"Yeah sure. That looks like a face that was wide awake." He smirked at me.

"Maybe this is how I always look."

"It is not. Your eyes are lighter when you're tired. And your smirk is more of a smile."

"Have you been studying my face?" His voice was teasing and his eyes were brighter, more alive then.

"No!" I blurted out quickly. "I just notice things."

"And what have you noticed?" I thought of all the times he has looked at me and how each time was different. His smirk took on a different tone when he was trying to flirt and his eyes were always dark but had a glimmer in them. I thought of how he always looked exhausted after dealing with his drunk friends; how he ran a hand through his hair and his mouth was always a thin line. But I didn't want to say that, so I said the one thing that I could say.

"You're always there for me," I whispered softer not trusting my voice to hide my vulnerability. He pulled me close again and I felt a kiss to the top of my head. When he pulled away I saw his eyes. They were dark again, the same dark when he said that no one has a claim over him. It was like a wall was up to hide something deep inside of him. I wanted to get a sledgehammer and knock it down. But not tonight.

"Where is Bex at?" I heard the silence in the dorm and another question came to my mind, "And Macey?"

"You really think Macey is coming home tonight?" Whatever wall was up broke and he was back to smirking. "You saw how she kissed Preston. I don't think she's coming home anytime soon."

I flashed back to the bet and how Macey threw the game and eagerly kissed Preston. Then I thought of how close I was to losing that game. How different this night might have gone if I did. But here I was, in my bed with Zach's arms loosely around me. We had been sitting in that position for about ten minutes, but I never thought of how it felt until now. I wanted to stay there forever, but I tensed up and moved off the bed.

"I'm going to text Bex." I grabbed my phone and tried to keep focus on the text to Bex. But I felt Zach still staring at me and I was grateful it was dark enough he couldn't see how flustered I was. I couldn't let this happen. I told Jonas nothing was going to change and Zach told Jonas we were just friends. Things were going great with everyone. I don't want to screw it up so quickly. I pressed send and waited for the reply. Zach moved to the end of the bed with his legs dangling over the side so I leaned against my pillow.

"Did the guys find a way home?"

"Yeah. David found one of his teammates and they're out at Piehaven now."

My phone buzzed and I looked at Bex's reply.

 _Bex: About to leave this pizza place. Be home in thirty!_

"And they're with Bex and Grant." He gave a short laugh.

"Must be getting serious. Already meeting the friends."

"Well I met them before she did." I nudged his shoulder.

"Well you aren't dating Grant, so it doesn't count." He nudged my shoulder back.

"Are you saying that my meeting his friends didn't mean anything?" I put a hand to my chest and gasped. He gave a small laugh and rolled his eyes.

"In terms of Grant and Bex, nothing." He was smirking again and his eyes had the flirty look in them. "In the terms of Grant's bestfriend, it means everything." His words washed over me and my legs felt like jelly again. Before I could respond he hopped off my bed and started for the door.

"I should probably head up. Anything else you need?" He opened the door and light filled the room. My stomach dropped a little thinking of how Bex would be home soon. I don't know what she would say if she saw Zach on my bed with no one else home. I didn't want to have to explain what happened tonight to anyone. So I had to let him go.

"Maybe some clean laundry tomorrow." I smirked and he half laughed.

"Come on Gallagher Girl. Don't you think I've worked off my debt?" He had worked it off. Times ten. But you can never argue with some free laundering.

"We had a deal for four. So you still owe me three." I crossed my arms and moved towards the door. He leaned against it with a smirk on his face.

"Come on Gallagher Girl. I could have used my winning beer pong bet for something else. Lets make it one."

"Two." I retorted back and he shook his head.

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." He walked down the hallway and I heard the door close. I laid back down in bed and hugged my pillow. It still smelled slightly of Zach and I drifted off to sleep, hoping sweet dreams would follow.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! I got this chapter back up to over 2,000 words. I know you are all very ready for the actual Zammie moments and I swear some big big chapters are coming up! I'm hoping to get a pretty quick update, but I start training this week. I'll do the best I can, because I love this story and don't want to let ya'll down! Thank you so much for all the love!**

Chapter 16

My head was pounding. The sunlight cut through the blinds and landed right in my eyes. I flinched and every movement felt like a bomb. I clutched my head and sat up to take in my surroundings. Bex was snoring in her bed with last nights makeup still on her face. I tried my best to tip toe out of bed and to the door. The rest of the apartment was silent and I peaked into Liz and Macey's room to see it was empty. I though about texting Macey to see if she was alright, but the first thought that came to mind was coffee. I needed it stat.

I scooped in two scoops into the filter and had to wait for it to brew. My mouth felt dry and my stomach was still twisted. I was remembering some of the things that happened last night. I remembered how I played with Zach and how he flirted. How Macey kissed Preston after she threw the game. How awful I felt after the game was finished. My stomach lurching and my legs feeling like jelly. Zach having to carry me back to my dorm. And having me beg for him to help me change into my shorts. The deadly serious look on his face when I asked him to stay. The tears that fell after my nightmare. And finally how he said that it meant everything that I met them. My stomach was fluttering but just that quickly it dropped and I felt myself gagging. I'm never drinking again.

I took deep breaths and was rubbing my temples when I heard the clatter of keys outside. The door flung open and slammed against the wall. I jumped at the impact and Macey had a loopy smile on her face. She still had her dress and heels on, but it was now layered with a blue button up tied at the waist and her hair was pulled into a bun.

I glanced at the time, nine a.m. "A little late for a Sunday isn't it?"

"No way, all the church goers are getting out now." I raised my eyebrows at her.

"You're telling me you're on par with a church goer." I regret saying that. Wish I could take it back right then and there because the smirk on her face and the words that followed still made my stomach churn. But I couldn't so she just cocked her hip and had a malicious glint in her eyes.

"Well we both called out to God a lot." The coffee pot dinged and I wasn't feeling up to coffee anymore. I started walking away from her to take a long shower. Her words were dirty enough that I wanted to scrub them away.

"Oh come on Cammie. You know I'm kidding… mostly." She was pouring herself a cup of coffee, drinking it black. I grabbed my mug and added more cream and sugar than coffee. Probably not good for a hangover but black coffee was just too bitter.

"So did you sleep with him?" She rolled her eyes at me.

"Oh Cammie, ye of little faith. Don't you trust me in the slightest." Of course I did, but I remember how hungrily she kissed him.

"No I didn't sleep with him. Made out for a while and then again. And then again, but no I didn't sleep with him."

"So what the hell was that all about?" She always constantly complained about Preston Winters and how annoying he was. I knew there was something deep down but I didn't think it was love or lust or whatever you call it.

"It seemed right. I don't know after seeing him again he's kind of gotten under my skin."

"Really? I haven't noticed." She gave me a pointed look and continued.

"After seeing him he would text me some and it was kind of nice, having someone that knew so much about your life and still wanted to be in it. I mean most of the guys I meet want me because I'm _Macey McHenry,_ " She gestured grandly in the air like her name was in lights. Which it sort of was before.

"Preston wants me because I'm Macey McHenry." She shook her head and her eyes looked timid. "I don't know. I guess it doesn't really make sense and I don't really even know what I did it. I probably shouldn't have."

Her words gave me a sense of déjà vu. Preston didn't see her as the senators daughter or the cosmetic heiress. He saw her for the strong, confident girl that was also beautiful. I remembered how Josh didn't make me feel like the girl with the dead dad. He just saw me as Cammie, the average girl that could be loved. I knew that there were similarities, but I knew that what Macey was feeling was much stronger.

"It's okay to like him, you know. If you want to kiss him, you should. And you don't have to throw a game of beer pong to do it." She smiled again and her eyes were brighter.

"You can't prove that."

"Oh, I think that kiss that followed proved it for me." She had a self satisfied smirk on her face.

"It was just a lucky shot."

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The steam from the shower cleared my head a little more. It wasn't pounding anymore and my stomach settled down. I wrapped the towel around me and was stepping into the hallway, but I froze when I heard voices.

"I couldn't believe she made that shot either."

"Yeah, then you would have had to hope Preston missed." I heard the cockiness in the tone and I saw the smirk that accompanied it. Macey looked a little flustered but she wasn't one to let a snarky remark pass.

"I'm sure you would've been hoping he made it." I saw her cocked hip and the tables turned. Zach was silent with his mouth slack.

"I could've thrown the game if I wanted to, just like you." It was a weird battle in the middle of my living room and they didn't notice that I was now in the hallway with a towel.

"Are you saying, you didn't want to makeout with Cam?" I gulped. I didn't know if I wanted to hear the answer, so I had to make my presence known.

"Um…." They snapped out of the war zone and Macey smiled at me. Zach looked me over and I regretted saying anything until I was dressed.

"Oh good. Cammie, your slave is here to do laundry." He gave me a smile and leaned against the wall.

"Come on Gallagher Girl, there's plenty of washers open right now, but we have to go fast."

"Yeah, let me change." I shut the door to my room and Bex was still sleeping with her face toward the wall. I tried to change as quietly as I could, which was good because I could hear them talking again.

"You're saying you wouldn't want to make out with that?"

"Not because of a stupid game."

 _What was that supposed to mean?_

There was still so many things that were unsaid, or too much was said. Either way it made our walk to the laundry room quiet and uncomfortable. Was it because of the crying, or the changing, or just seeing me drunk. Something had changed between us, and I prayed that it could go back.

"Zach." He glanced over at me, "About last night." The air was deathly still between us as he looked at me with an unreadable mask.

"What about last night?"

"Thank you. For taking me home and staying and… yeah, thank you." His eyes were dark and his smirk was half hearted.

"Anytime Gallagher Girl." He held the door open for me and it was pretty empty. Only two other washers were running. He wouldn't have any trouble today, but I still sat on the counter and waited with him.

"So did you hear anything about Bex's time with the guys?" She was still asleep and I couldn't get any answers. Zach just shrugged.

"I don't know. Grant had that grin on his face but Nick and Lucas were still kind of out of it." I'm sure she did fine. Probably even won over David.

"What about Macey? What time did she get home?"

"About nine." I felt a little more timid then. I don't know if Macey wanted this being spread around, but word would get out eventually, and I doubt Zach was the type of guy to spread rumors. "She really likes him."

He gave a half laugh, "I could tell."

"I told her that she didn't have to make up a whole game just because she wanted to kiss him."

"I think you enjoyed it. Just a little bit." He held his fingers centimeters apart and smiled.

"I think I'll stick to pool. I'm better at that."

"You made a pretty good shot." He nudged my knee with his elbow.

"It was a lucky shot." It really was. I closed my eyes and hoped for the best.

"We probably would have lost if it didn't go in." There was a tension between us. He was closer and I was scared to touch him and feel the spark. The whole world might burn if I did.

"I guess we'll never know."

"Yeah… lucky shot." His words were as rich and dark as chocolate. I loved chocolate. He was so close and wasn't backing away. Or coming any closer. I liked my lips and sounded breathless, "Zach, when you said-"

The door opened and I jumped back a little.

"Oh hey Cammie!"

"Uh… hi Aven." She was a girl in my biology class. I guess you could say we were friends, but only on the level of text for homework help and talk during lecture. I didn't even know she lived in this dorm.

"So Cammie, did you hear Henry dumped Olivia? He's single!" She wiggled her eyebrows at me. Yeah, Henry was pretty cute. But I've only sat next to him once, on laundry day, and he was texting the whole time.

Aven was now on the other side of me and was grinning ear to ear.

"Are you going to make a move? I mean technically you have dibs on him since you talked to him first."

"Aven I didn't talk to him. He asked me when the test was and I told him." She waved the detail away.

"No matter, are you going to make a move or not?" She was oblivious to Zach's discomfort. He stood stoically and wasn't looking at me, but I knew he was listening.

"No. He's all yours, Aven." She started bouncing a little and squealed.

"Thanks Cammie! I owe you one!" After Aven left the laundry room it was still tense between us.

"That was pretty heroic of you, Gallagher Girl." He sounded like he was trying to mock me, but it fell short.

"What? Giving up my 'claim'? Not that I had one anyway. I mean no one really has a claim on anyone. Well until they're dating. But even then they're still their own person and-"

"Why did you let her have him?" I was thankful that he cut off my blubbering.

"I don't know. He's just not really my type. I mean he's cute in the frat boy kind of way, but not my type." He was studying me again. Then he shook his head to clear whatever he was thinking.

"How is biology? I have to take it next semester."

We spent the rest of the wash cycle talking about classes and which professors were totally unfair. I was glad we were back to being able to talk without the awkwardness. I liked it better that way.

"Alright, Blackthorne Boy. You have your dryers now. I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah. What are you doing Wednesday night?" Wednesdays were pretty normal. Two classes and that was it.

"I get out of class at four. Why?"

"David has his first game. You wanna come with us?"

"Of course! I love watching sports." He smiled at my enthusiasm.

"Alright, I'll let him know you're coming."

"Wait, David wanted me to come?"

"Yeah. He was going to ask you yesterday, but you never saw him."

Oh yeah. I was planning on catching up with them at the party, but I got dragged in by Macey. I kind of missed those guys. They skipped going to Chance's for me and I ditched them.

"Yeah, tell him I'm going to be there." He smiled again and I went back to my dorm. I peaked in on Macey's room and she had her noise cancelling headphones on and a textbook in her hand. She looked up at me and held the cover of her book up for me to see. Government. I was surprised she even studied for that class but she just rolled her eyes and said, "The textbook tells a different story."

I opened the door to our room and was expecting to see a smiling Bex, or maybe a sleeping one. The girl could sleep. But I wasn't expecting to hear Bex sniffling while still hidden under the blankets.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Get ready for a little bit of a Matt/Rachel story moment. Thank you for the reviews! Someone mentioned wanted Liz/Jonas. I'm honestly not sure if I'm going to make them a couple in this story. I absolutely love them and think their relationship would be funny, but I haven't planned for their relationship. Anyway, you will get your answers for what happened to Bex. Enjoy!**

Chapter 17

"Bex?" She tried to silence herself and pretend to be asleep, but it was too late.

"Bex? What's wrong?" I tapped her shoulder and she looked at me with tears in her eyes. It made me want to cry, then punch whoever did this.

"Bex, what happened?" She sat up and took a deep breath.

"Grant." Then she cut herself off with a sob. I backed toward the door and barged into Macey's room. She took her headphones off and rolled her eyes.

"Cammie, I really do need to study."

"Macey, Bex needs us." She looked worried and promptly closed her book. When we got back inside Bex was now sitting up and wiping away a few tears.

"That better not be because of a boy.." Bex's lip trembled and I gave her a tight hug.

"What happened? You didn't break up did you?" She shook her head.

"Did you find out he's seeing another girl?" Again she shook her head. I pushed her away to look at her.

"Then what happened?"

"He… he wants me to meet his parents." She let out another sob.

"Bex dear, I don't know how it works over in England, but meeting parents is a good thing." She took a deep ragged breath.

"I know it's supposed to be a good thing. I just think it's moving too fast. I'm having a great time with him and loved meeting his friends, but then he joked about meeting his parents for Thanksgiving and I froze. I thought he was just joking but he asked me again before he dropped me off." Macey looked concerned for our friend.

"What did you say?"

"I said I would think about it and he got really happy."

"So what is the problem?" She sighed aggravated.

"The problem is I don't think I can meet his parents. I don't know what this thing is and I can't get attached like that." She buried her face in her hands.

"Bex," I rubbed her back, "do you think you could love Grant?" She went still for a second. She removed her hands from her face and whispered, "Yes."

Macey was grinning and I saw Bex had a small grin too. Macey was now on the other side of her.

"Well then it's worth a shot. It's up to you of course, but I think it could be worth it."

"If you don't go you're going to be here all by yourself." She looked up questioningly.

"Why?"

"It's Thanksgiving break. Liz goes home to her family, Macey has a sort of Thanksgiving/gala, and I order takeout with my mom on that day. It's kind of a tradition."

"It's a family holiday. If Grant is asking you to come for that whole week, he must really like you." Bex smiled to herself.

"I think I should still think about it."

"Fine," Macey pushed off the bed and clapped her hands together. "Cammie what else do you have planned today?" It was Sunday, so I should have a phone call coming.

"Talk with mom. But other than that, nothing."

"Good, we're going to have a rest and relaxation day. I think we all deserve it. I'll order some pizza, Bex you want to choose a movie?" Bex lit up.

"Wait! If you're going to put in one of your british rom coms can you at least make it like Love Actually, or Four Weddings and a Funeral. Nothing too over the top." Bex deflated a little.

"Fine, but you're missing out."

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Bex apparently decided for Four Weddings and a Funeral, and we were all finding our spots on the couch. Macey had ordered the pizza and we were all dressed in our comfort clothes. It was nice to have just a girls day. Sure we lived together, but with classes and Bex and Macey's new sisterhood, our time together was limited. Especially with Liz running back and forth from labs.

"I wish Liz were here." Macey was already braiding Bex's hair and her hands froze and her shoulders slumped.

"I do too. She needed to visit home though. Her sister was having a hard time with the separation." That kind of surprised me. Maybe it was the outcome of being an only child, but usually when the sibling goes off to college, the other is thrilled.

"Were they really that close?"

"Oh yeah. There's only four years difference between them and she just entered high school. From what I heard, she met a boy." Macey's eyes had that familiar gleam that came about with gossip. "He asked her to homecoming already."

I rolled my eyes, "Great, a fifteen year old has more of a lovelife than I do."

"I wouldn't say that." Macey muttered under her breath. Bex giggled but pretended that Macey didn't say anything.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I glared in their direction.

"What I didn't say anything." Macey held up her hands innocently and I let the remark slide. We sat watching the beginning of the movie.

"I don't get it. Why do British guys always go for the lone American?" Bex rolled her eyes at me.

"Because they're exotic. It's like me here. Guys drool all over me just because I'm from England."

"And because you're humble." I retorted.  
"I am humble!" I shared a glance with Macey and we both stifled our laughs.

"So I should go to England to get a boyfriend?"

"Oh Flash, you don't have to go all the way over there for a boyfriend. You have plenty of prospects here." As if on cue there was a knock at the door.

"Oh there's one right now." I made a grand gesture to walk toward the door. "I hope I can woo the pizza man. Maybe I could get free pizza." I scooped up the cash and opened the door. I was already thinking of how great a slice of cheese pizza would be, but my stomach would have to wait.

"You're not pizza." Zach just smirked at me.

"Nope, just a lowely laundry servant." He carried my basket with clean clothes in.

"Speak of the devil! Hello Zachary. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Just paying off my debt." Our hands brushed as I grabbed the basket from his hands. I felt heat rising to my cheek so I turned tail toward my room to hide it.

"We missed you at Piehaven." Bex was looking at Zach who just shrugged. Sure it was only one night without Zach, but I remember what happened when Grant was gone. David couldn't get over it for a long time.

"Probably not that much. They had a new recruit in the group. It's not everyday that a girl goes out with them." Bex smiled then her eyes lit up.

"Oh yeah! Cammie, Lucas wanted me to tell you that he was a good boy and didn't start a girl fight." I blushed fiercely.

"Probably because you weren't around to protect him." Zach smirked at me and I just blushed more.

"Well, Nick missed you guys. And his truck." Macey looked puzzled.

"Wait, why did he miss his truck?" She looked between us and had a growing smile on her face. "Where did you go last night?" I felt like my stomach dropped to my feet.

"Someone," Zach nodded towards me, "wasn't feeling very good. I made sure to get her home."

"How valiant of you Zachary." Bex smiled between us. "Now if you will leave. This is a girls day." Zach didn't have to be told twice. He walked towards the door, probably out of free of being grilled again.

"I'll see you Wednesday, Gallagher Girl." My voice still felt like it wasn't working so I nodded and a quiet, "Yeah," escaped my lips.

When the door closed Bex and Macey wheeled on me.

"What happened?"

000000000000000000

They were both boring holes in the side of my face from their staring.

"I got drunk and wasn't feeling well. Sooooo Zach took me home."

"And what happened?" Bex was getting impatient. She usually did when I told stories.

"Nothing really. He carried me back and helped me get in bed. And he slept on the couch for a little."

"This couch right here? Just twelve hours ago, he was sleeping here and you didn't mention it this morning?" Macey's looked at me incredulously.

"Yeah. I think I asked him to stay and he did. Until I woke up again and Bex said she was coming home."

"You let me be the reason that he left?" Bex looked around for something to throw.

"What? He wasn't going to stay the night. I was feeling better and you were coming home so he could leave." Macey just shook her head.

"Cammie, Cammie, Cammie. How are you going to let him just get away like that? He was on the couch," _and my bed,_ "and he left a party to take care of you. And you just let him walk out the door?"

"And he saw you again this morning!" Bex interjected excitedly.

"Guys, it's not a big deal. He was being nice and took me home. That's what friends would do." They shared a glance.

"No Cammie, friends might take you home but once you're through the door it's done. This boy stayed with you to make sure you were okay. He's clearly in love with you." I felt my face flush.

"He's not in love with me. We. Are. Just. Friends." I enunciated every word to get it through their heads.

"Hmm… not convinced. Did anything else happen?"

I thought to the part in between me waking up in tears and him leaving. I should have told them, but something about it felt private. And if I told them that, my case for being just friends would look worse and worse. So I shook my head.

"Nothing."

Macey opened her mouth to argue but I cut her off.

"Nothing happened. Nothing is going to happen. Bex, you can ask Grant if you want. But you'll hear the same thing." Bex looked thoughtfully at her phone.

"I'll check into this." Just then my phone rang. Saved by the bell.

"Go ahead and check. When I'm done with this phone call, you'll be saying the same thing I have been saying."

I walked towards my room and shut the door.

"Hey, mom."

"Hey, kiddo. How was your week?"

"Umm… it was okay." I was already fidgeting with the ends of my hair.

"What is it Cameron?" My mouth went dry. I should be able to tell her anything. After I started dating Josh and didn't tell her for a month, she was hurt when she found out. But after that she established the open door policy. I still hadn't used it, especially not with relationship questions. There are some things that should just stay private. Really how are you going to say, 'Hey mom, Josh totally tried to feel me up, but couldn't unhook my bra. Do you know any better techniques?' I always used Macey for those types of things, but I felt like what happened was something big.

"Mom, I kind of got drunk last night." There was a beat of silence.

"Cameron, are you okay?" She sounded like a headmistress then.

"Yeah. I was feeling sick at the party and Zach took me home."

"Zach took you home?" Her voice sounded a little warmer, but it still held an edge.

"Yeah. He made sure I was okay." There was silence again.

"Was he drinking?"

"No. He doesn't really drink."

"I'll have to thank him for taking care of my, albeit sometimes reckless, daughter."

Guilt. All mothers have some type of inherent trait that knows exactly how to make their daughters feel bad. I was feeling about two inches tall, but there was still something else I wanted to talk about.

"Mom, how did you know you liked dad?" She took a deep breath.

"I think I always knew. Since I met him, we could just talk so easily and I always wanted to be around him. He liked me long before I even knew who he was. He was friends with Abby." She gave a lighthearted laugh. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. "Your aunt was always a mischievous one. She had been talking about this friend of hers for weeks. Just small facts and she asked for me to meet him. Of course, you don't know this, but I was just going through a breakup and wasn't really looking to meet anyone. But when your Abby had planned her 22nd birthday party, she asked for me to pick up the cake. What I didn't know was she also asked Matt to pick it up. So there I was. I picked up the cake and was ready to take it to the party and Matt was gaping at me from the door. He was so handsome Cammie. I kept staring at him and I dropped the cake on the ground." She had a bittersweet laugh then and I wanted to laugh too. I knew tears would be falling soon.

"So Matt, being the southern gentleman bought another cake and took the blame for it. So after that, we just kind of clicked." I wanted her to keep talking for hours, but I knew her limit was getting close. She could only talk about dad for so long.

"That's amazing mom." I had never heard that story before. Dad always talked about their first date and how his uncle got drunk at the wedding and mom was furious. I never got to hear the cute stories that meant something.

"It was." She paused and if I were in her office she would give me that look and smooth my hair. "You know Cammie, not everyone has the fairytale beginning. Your story is your own. When the time comes, you will know."  
I thought about Zach. Did I like him? He was attractive, and caring, and I loved running with him and talking with him. He could make me laugh and blush all in one sentence. But there were so many things in the way. I didn't know if he liked me. I don't even know if I really liked him. We were good as friends.

"What if it's just easier to be friends?"

"Then you have to decide if it's worth it."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: It's getting good! I'm honestly excited about the next two or three chapters. Unfortunately, I might be slow getting to those. Sorry guys, my brain has been fried with training and it takes priority right now. I love this story, but I gotta focus on work. I'll try my hardest to keep consistent updates. You guys rock! I'll do a few shout outs at the end of the chapter.**

Chapter 18

By Wednesday, the temperature had dropped. A lot. Sunday I could get away with shorts and maybe a t-shirt, but today I definitely needed a long sleeve and jeans. Even with the sun beating down, there was a bite in the air. And the lacrosse field did little to block the wind.

"Are you not freezing?" Zach was wearing a t-shirt and Lucas, heaven help him, was wearing shorts!

"Gallagher Girl, I grew up in Maine. This is camping weather."

"Yeah, maybe for eskimos." I rolled my eyes and rubbed my sleeved arms. Lucas didn't even look cold.

"How the hell are you wearing shorts?"

"Oh Camster, I'm always hot." He ended with a wink and I didn't have a comeback. I think the cold froze my brain. I spotted Nick, Jonas and Grant coming back with candy and popcorn. Grant wore a t-shirt, Jonas at least had a long sleeve but it was Nick who brightened my day. He was completely bundled up with jacket, jeans and a hat covering his ears.

"How are you dong Nick?" He looked at me and his lip trembled a little. I had to restrain my laugh.

"I-I-I got some hot chocolate. You want s-s-some?" He wasn't wearing gloves so his open hands carrying the cup holder were probably frozen. I accepted a cup grateful for the warmth and Grant just shook his head.

"This is swimming weather!" Zach nodded along with him. Jonas just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah if you want to get sick again. Remember sophomore year?" Their enthusiasm deflated a little.

"I still blame the chicken nuggets for that sickness."

"Yeah. Chicken nuggets gave you pneumonia." Zach and Grant just smiled at each other.

"Worth it." Grant nodded in agreement.

"How was David feeling about this game?" Nick looked like he was starting to warm up. Jonas shrugged.

"He said it could go either way. If Alex was still hurt, then probably not very well."

I saw a guy on the bench while the others warmed up. He had k-tape on his knee, but it didn't look right.

"What's wrong with him?"

"David said he fell on his knee pretty badly, but it's getting better."

"He's not going to play with his knee taped like that." I got off the bleachers and walked towards the boy on the bench.

"Who taped that?" Alex was startled by my sudden appearance.

"Um, the trainer." I rolled my eyes and my hands started moving toward the tape and he pulled back and winced.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I snapped my eyes up to his.

"Do you want to play today or not?" He extended his leg back toward me and nodded. I peeled back the tape and put it in the correct placement. It was a little hard, because some of the stickiness wore off, but it would stay.

"Better?" He bent it without wincing and smiled.

"Better." I got up and started walking back towards the bleachers. "Hey. Where did you learn to do that?"

"I'm a kinesiology major." He gave an approving nod.

"Well you should be in the trainer's office. You clearly know a lot more than they do."

"I'll keep that in mind." He got up and started stretching before jogging lightly to the coach. The guys were staring at me like I just pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

"What?" Lucas shook his head but still looked at me in amazement.

"Are you a healer or something?"

My eyebrows scrunched together, "What? No. I just fixed his tape."

"Well if they win, you should be the MVP." Grant hit Lucas on the head.

"You have to be a player for that."

"You could win it, Lucas." I sent him a wink and he feigned shock.

"Why Cameron Morgan, what has become of you? You're supposed to be my guardian angel."

"Maybe you should have picked another angel."

He was grinning at me. "Nope. I'll keep you. I like them feisty anyway." He winked at me again and I rolled my eyes.

"I think we should be talking about how Grant has changed." Nick nodded his head towards Grant. "I almost didn't recognize you without Bex attached to you."

"She has class." He sounded disappointed but then recovered with a grin. "But that just means I have some time with my boys! And Cammie," he added quickly.

"Don't worry Cammie's just one of the guys. Right Cammie?" Jonas looked like he was daring me to oppose him and my eyes involuntarily flitted to Zach.

"Yeah. Just one of the guys."

"Best looking guy I've ever seen." Lucas mumbled. I punched his shoulder.

"Don't worry Grant. I'll tell Bex you missed her the whole time."

0000000000000

I think it actually got colder thirty minutes into the game. My hot chocolate was drained and the breeze just cut right through my jacket. Nick, Jonas and Lucas were in front of me, but the wind was coming from behind. If anything, I was keeping them warm. Zach looked like he was starting to feel the chill. He was a little more huddled up than usual.

"You look cold." He tore his focus from the field to smirk at me.

"I used to have a warm sweatshirt, but I gave it to some girl." I smiled.

"Well that wasn't very smart." He gave a slight chuckle.

"No, it probably wasn't." His arms were tense and I could see goosebumps forming.

"I'll give it back I swear." I held up my hand, "Scouts honor."

"Don't worry. It looked better on you anyway." He bumped my shoulder and I instantly felt the warmth that spread through me on my shoulder. And then it was instantly cold again when he leaned away.

"Come back." I heard the whiny tone in my voice and it sounded pathetic, but I'll admit it, I'm a wimp to the cold. He looked at me with amusement in his eyes.

"Why?"

"You're warm." I started moving towards him and felt the warmth from his arm.

"So you're just using me for my body." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yes, I'm just using you for your hot body, now come here." He smirked and leaned over me to Grant.

"Did you hear that? Cammie just said I had a hot body." I was blushing but he had his arm around my shoulder and I got closer into his side. It's survival tactics. Anyone would see that. Grant smiled at us and gave me a look that said, 'yeah, I heard it.'. He was no doubt going to tell Bex about it. At this point, I didn't care. I could handle some 'I told you so's from Bex in return for some warmth. I was content to stay like this for the rest of the game.

"Looks like Alex is doing pretty well." Jonas observed. He still had moments where you could tell he was in pain, but nothing like earlier.

"Yeah, and they're winning."

"I'm sure David is happy about that." I looked around the stands and everyone seemed in high spirits. I guess that's what happens when you're winning against a supposed rival. Well, everyone except one. And she was glaring in my direction. Maybe she was a supporter for the other team? I waved the thought away and turned back to the game.

David was rushing up the field leaving the rest trailing behind him. One attacker was on his tail and right when he was in range David pulled back and shot the same time the defender tried to block. The ball swished into the net, increasing their lead.

"David's pretty awesome at this." I stated the fact. I remembered how arrogant he looked when he said he played. I thought he was just cocky, but he really was good.

"Yeah. He's team captain and was on the all state team in high school." I believed it now. I saw the way he commanded the rest of the team, he was definitely a natural leader on the field.

"That's incredible."

"Oh don't even." I looked over and saw Grant rolling his eyes. "You broke three freaking school records and one state record in track. And you were offered a full ride to NYU if you ran for their team." All the guys turned to stare at me but my jaw dropped.

"How did you know that?" He just shrugged.

"Bex likes talking about you." My jaw retracted but they were all still staring at me.

"Damn Camster." Lucas blinked at me. Nick shook his head. Jonas looked intrigued.

"Why did you turn down NYU?"

"Not really my school of choice. Besides, if I was getting paid to run, I wouldn't want to run anymore." Jonas nodded as if agreeing with me.

"I didn't know I was running with a state champ." Zach gave me one of his rare smiles. Like a genuine, you are pretty amazing, kind of smile.

"It's really not that big of a deal. I was only in competition with other private schools in Virginia."

"I don't know Cammie. That's still pretty awesome." I waved my hand in the air dismissing the whole conversation.

"Guys, really it's nothing. I'm sure there are plenty of girls that are faster out there."

"Alright, Flash." Grant chuckled. It was a nickname no doubt Bex told him about. I just wondered what else she told him about me.

00000000000000

It was down to the last minute of the game and unfortunately, there was only a one point lead. Alex was taken out ten minutes before and it was clear the David was starting to get worn out. He was basically a one man team. The rivals had possession of the ball and the crowd was wary of the outcome. Their midfielder was rushing down the field and David was on his heels. There was a juke and a jive and the midfield loaded backwards. The crowd held their breath as David swung when the rival did. The ball looked like it was in slow motion as David's stick moved closer and closer to it. I felt the clock ticking down in my head as the ball was deflected by David. We all jumped to our feet. It was over. There was no way they could come back. But just for good measure our team ran the ball back down the field.

The buzzer sounded and I threw my hands in the air.

"Yes! Ah! Cold!" Instantly the cold wind cut through my sleeves and I retreated them back to Zach's side. He put both arms around my waist while I warmed my hands between us.

"Really Gallagher Girl. I thought you grew up around here."

"I did. That doesn't mean I like the cold." He smiled down at me.

"Wimp." I saw Nick gripping a fresh hot chocolate and remembered the sweet relief of that.

"Well I'm a wimp that needs so hot chocolate." I was released and instantly regretted it. It was only the beginning of November and it was already too cold. But I made my way to the concession stand and the steamy goodness was soon in my hands. I sipped it and felt the warm liquid warm my belly. But it was nothing compared to Zach. They were already making their way toward David, so I walked on to the field.

"Hey. Trainer girl!" I stopped when I heard the shout. There weren't any other girls in the area yet, so I guess it was for me. I turned towards the voice and saw Alex strolling, well kind of limping, toward me.

"Me?" He laughed and nodded his head.

"Yes you. You helped me earlier. I wouldn't have played that long if it weren't for you." Why was everyone always saying that? I just moved his tape.

"Really. It was nothing."

"What's your name?" He was smiling and I couldn't tell if he was trying to flirt with me or just express his gratitude.

"Cammie. Cammie Morgan." He stuck out his hand.

"Hi, Cammie. I'm Alex." I shook it.

"Yeah, I know." He arched his eyebrows.

"My friends over there are friends of David. They kind of talked about you." I motioned behind me where they were standing and when he looked him smile was replaced with a grimace. I looked to what he saw and I felt my smile drop too.

Zach. Zach was crossing his arms and laughing with a girl. A girl who was leaning in every now and then. Then I saw it was the same girl who was glaring at me earlier. I felt a pit growing in my stomach. The hot chocolate didn't seem so good anymore.

"Well, Cammie. Thanks again. I'm going to head out now." He gave a small smiled and headed towards the locker room. Leaving me out in the open, torn between just leaving and walking back towards where the guys were.

 _Come on Cammie. I'm a big girl. This shouldn't bug me._

I willed my feet to work and for the frown to turn upside down.

"Hey David. Great game." I tried putting as much enthusiasm as I could into my words. I meant them. Truly I did.

"Thanks Cammie." David was smiling widely now. He was usually so reserved or competitive; it was rare to see him truly happy.

"I'm so glad you could come! What did you think?"

"It was fun. A little cold, but fun." Even I thought the words sounded fake. I hoped he was too hopped up on endorphins to notice. I heard the girl laugh loudly and a shiver went down my spine.

"I'm pretty cold, so I'm going to head back. But you did awesome! Really!" I must have sold it pretty well. David nodded and gave me a quick hug.

"Thanks for coming. Will you come again next time?" He looked like he really wanted me to come. And he was my friend afterall.

"Yeah. Definitely." He gave a smile and a nod. I waved to the rest of the guys and walked away. Zach caught my eye and looked like he was going to come over, but the girl laughed and put her hand on his chest. At that, all focus was gone. It doesn't matter. Really. We're supposed to be just friends.

 **And boom. I sense denial. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! You really are the driving force behind these updates, so you deserve some acknowledgment.**

 **34: Welcome to the fandom! The series is still my absolute favorite! I reread it at least once every year. Thank you for your kind words!**

 **Ineedaname: Lol! You're an awesome reviewer!**

 **Aa: I hope I can update quicker than I'm thinking. I know, I'm like the worst for about to slow down my update pace, but I got to. :(**

 **Luckyme22: Thank you! You're doing a great job on your stories! They're so sweet!**

 **Zgreatdanger: I like all of those authors! Such cute stories!**

 **I know I'm missing some, but I went with the more recent reviews from the last chapter. You guys seriously are amazing. I love that so many of you are still keeping up with the GG fandom! Your reviews make my day!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: You lovelies are the best people alive! Seriously, I woke up to 11 reviews the day after posting the last chapter! I know I keep saying I won't be updating as frequently then a few days later I update, but I'm just trying to warn ya'll. This chapter has just been burning in the back of my mind since I started writing this story and I was so excited to get it out! Okay guys, this chapter could have gone on for another 2,000 words, but I decided I should cut it off at where the half way mark was going to be. But on the bright side, earlier update! So please enjoy!**

Chapter 19

It had been two weeks. Two weeks! That's like forever to skirt around Zach and keep him at arms length. It was easy at first. When he stopped by Saturday morning for our run, I told him I was studying for my big exam next Tuesday. Which I was, totally not a lie.

That night at Chance's it was difficult. But saving grace came in the form of the 'British Bombshell', as Grant called her. Having her there that night meant I had a distraction. And if she was with Grant, I talked to Lucas and Nick. Then I rode home with Jonas since Grant and Bex got a ride with Zach. See, totally not my choice to avoid him there.

The next week I stayed busy studying. And I guess he did too. It was the week of midterms, so everyone on campus was delirious by Friday. Even he didn't attempt to wake up early Saturday morning. I just woke up to a text saying he was going to sleep in and that he would see me tonight. I sent a short reply saying that Macey was begging for us girls to all go out together. Which was true! It was the last weekend together before Thanksgiving break and Liz was finally back to sleeping in the dorm room and not a lab. Macey wanted to celebrate with us, at least until midnight. After that, Preston coincidently showed up at the same exact location. And Macey just happened to make sure that I was the one driving that night. And when she asked for the keys she just happened to grab a bag under the seat. After that Bex texted Grant and he was quick to pick her up by herself. So then it was just me, Liz and five slices of pizza. We wrapped them up and headed back to the dorm to finish out our girl's night together. We gossiped and Liz dished about how her sister is inviting her new boyfriend to Thanksgiving dinner. It was a fun night and not once did she beg and plead to talk about Zach.

Overall, I was doing a good job at avoiding him. Not that I would completely ignore him. I mean if he would talk to me, I would talk back. But I kept myself guarded from the closeness and the flirtations. It was the logical thing to do.

But that lead me to this Friday. The Friday before Thanksgiving break and quite possibly the worst day I've had in school this whole semester.

First of all, my psychology lecture this morning only had twenty out of the one hundred students attending, and the professor took that moment to go into a very rigorous lecture on the human brain right before breaks and why summer breaks kill our productivity. Interesting yes, but at that point I was ready to kill my productivity for the chance at a week off.

By lunch, midterm grades were posted and I did fine. Not great, not awful, just fine. Which wasn't fine for me when I spent ten hours studying for my biology midterm. So I went to the professor's office and simply asked what I could do to prepare me for finals. He then began to tell me that I was very book smart, but my lab grades were slacking. He then told me that the TA could help me review my labs and they would be there at five. Yeah, that was fine, except I was supposed to be leaving at four to head to Roseville. So there I was, eating my crappy lunch because most of the students and staff were already on vacation leaving me with cold turkey, deciding if I should risk hitting traffic or save my grade.

On one hand, if I waited to leave, I could probably avoid the straggling Gallagher students that were late to leave for break. Mom was still always on headmistress mode and running around contacting parents. And I could save my grade for finals. I weighed the pros and cons and decided the pros won. I picked up my phone and dialed my mom's number. She picked up on the first ring.

"Hey kiddo. Do you mind if I call you back in a few minutes? I'm loading up my suitcases?"

"Umm….what?" Suitcases? Why did she have suitcases?

"Yeah. My flight leaves in three hours and I'm just now leaving."

"Flight? Leaving? What are you talking about?" There was a silence on the other end.

"I'm sorry Cammie. I forgot to tell you. My old roommate had a death in the family, so I'm flying out to Arizona to be there with her." I tried adding up what she just told me.

"How long will you be gone?" Another beat of silence.

"The funeral is next Saturday." It was my turn to be silent.

"I'm sorry Cammie. I can get you a ticket out here and we can be together. Really I-"

"No. It's fine. I'll just see if maybe I can tag along with Macey." Her voice softened then.

"Thanks kiddo. I wish I could spend Thanksgiving with you, but….. she really needs me." I got that. I remember there was one friend that stayed with mom for almost two weeks. I'm guessing this was her, and mom would be more than willing to repay the favor.

"I understand. Let me know when you land?"

"Of course kiddo. I love you. Be safe!" She hung up before I could even respond.

"Love you too." I threw away the rest of my lunch and stormed back to the dorm. It was bitterly cold outside. The clouds were dark and looming. It definitely matched my mood. When I opened the door, Macey already had her suitcase in hand.

"Hey Cam, I'm about to head out for a fun week of family bonding." Her face scrunched up. I knew she would be dreading it.

"What's on the Senator's agenda?" She rolled her eyes.

"Publicity event. Every. Single. Day. Ending on Thanksgiving with a gala." I already felt bad for her. Maybe I wouldn't be tagging along with Macey for break. There was still hope for Bex though.

"Hey Cammie. You okay?"

"Yeah. My mom just had to cancel on me though." She put her bag down and quickly hugged me.

"I'm sorry. I would open up my home, but-"

"But that would require a complete psych eval with therapy on Friday." She smiled at my joke but her eyes were still sad.

"What are you going to do?" I shrugged.

"I don't know. Probably catch up on TV shows and do some running. I'll be fine."

"Don't hesitate to call. I can be here in a flash. Honestly it would be the greatest moment of my break if you did call."

"I'm honored. If you need an emergency extraction, I'll make something up." She patted my shoulder.

"What a friend." Her phone started beeping. "Okay, I gotta run. Seriously, one call away." She picked up her bag and she looked like my mom before she dropped me off for college.

"Thanks, Macey." She looked sympathetic, but I knew I was more worried for her break. At least I would be able to wear sweat pants and eat ice cream all day. And I would have Bex! At least until Monday, before she leaves for her week with Grant. It would be fine, really.

What wasn't fine was the suitcase that was staring me down. It was taunting me. I had to take care of it. I threw my clothes in my drawers, not even bothering to fold them. It was done in no time and I still had three hours. And I needed a nap.

000000000000000

"Thank you for your help, Cammie." I was drying the last of the beakers. My visit to see the TA turned into a cleaning of the Biology labs.

"No problem." I tried to keep a positive tone, but at this point I didn't really care.

"And about your labs, just make sure that your recording all observations and if you're stuck you can come to me." That's what this four hour long cleaning session amounted to? Record observations and ask for help? I could've trashed that whole lab right then. But I just gathered my stuff and walked out of the lab. It was way past dinner time, but I was starving. So I texted Bex.

 **Hey. Do you want to order a pizza?**

When I opened the door to go outside, of course it was pouring rain.

"What luck?" I rolled my eyes and pulled up my backpack to try to cover my head. With the freezing cold and the rain whipping in, I felt like I was close to hypothermia. I saw the dorms in sight and it was like a beacon of hope. I started running, soaking the bottoms of my sweats. But I was close. I was actually starting to feel hopeful when the lobby area was warm.

My phone rang from my pocket and I was happy to see that it didn't get wet. I saw Bex's picture pop up and was already feeling the warm feeling of pizza that would be in my belly.  
"Hey Duchess. I think I need an extra cheese to make up for this extra shitty day." There was silence on the other line for the second time today.

"Bex?"

"Um, Cammie. Are you still here?" It sounded like she was whispering.

"Yeah. I just walked in the doors."

"Oh." Oh. That was the response I got. The warm pizza feeling seemed farther and farther away now.

"What do you mean, 'Oh'?"

"Well… I sort of thought that you already left for Roseville since you weren't here."

"Okay…"

"Well… you know how I'm going home with Grant on Monday. Well he told me he loved me tonight." Her voice rose a little and I knew she was giddy. I was giddy for her.

"Bex that's great!"

"Yeah, except…" She trailed off. Bex wasn't one for trailing off and I knew she felt really guilty.

"Except what?"

"Except that I love him too and he's kind of at our dorm because I thought it was empty and tonight was going to be the night." She got it all out in one breath. And now I was speechless.

"Cammie, I'm sorry. I thought you were gone already. And he's already here."

"Don't worry about it."

"Really?" I could tell she still felt guilty but there was hope in her voice.

"Yeah, I'll find a place to stay tonight."

"You're the best Cammie. I really am sorry."  
"It's nothing. Just be happy." She hung up the phone and I started going through my options. I was just about drenched and even though it was warmer in the lobby, the cold was still getting to me. I was starving and now I didn't have a place to sleep. All of my options were crossed out one by one, until I was left with the last person I wanted to be around.

I wasn't proud of what was happening. I didn't want to go to him. I was always so vulnerable around him and he probably liked that other girl. So I didn't want to get in the way of that. But there wasn't another choice. So I stood there in my soaked clothes with whatever makeup I had on probably running down my face. And I lifted my hand to knock. I heard footsteps and a voice on the other side of the door. The door was starting to open and I wasn't expecting what I heard.

"I'm not going to see her, Joe." Zach's voice was edgier that usual as he talked on the phone. But that tone went away the moment he saw me. His eyes went wide and he quickly stepped aside to let me in. I walked in cautiously, without a word as he finished his conversation.

"Look Joe, I'm not going to talk about this right now. I've got to go." He didn't wait for a reply before hanging up and letting out a sigh. It took him a second to remember I was there.

"What happened to you?" Ok, I probably should have taken offense to that. Usually when someone said that, it meant you looked like shit. But he had concern in his eyes, despite his tone.

"Long night. And it's raining." I motioned to my soaked clothes and he was already walking towards his room.

"You need something dry." He was shuffling through a neat pile of t-shirts. He smiled down at the one in his hands.

"Here, I think you're familiar with this one." I took the shirt in my hands and couldn't help but smile. That stupid Blackthorne Soccer shirt that ended up in my dryer. That shirt that started it all. Looking at it, I wasn't sure if I wish I never had it, or I wish I never gave it back.

"You can change in here. Do you have other shorts?" I nodded my head.

"Yeah. The ones under these should be dry." He nodded and closed the door behind him. It was weird being in his room. Everything was neat and orderly. Very few pictures were on the wall except one with Grant and Jonas. It looked like their graduation and they were all smiling. I compared that image to what I saw at the door. I wondered which one was the lie.

He wasn't going to see her. Who was the her? Was it that one girl? Did this Joe like her and there was some type of bro code being broken? My mind was reeling from just that one line of dialogue. I couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen if I heard the whole thing.

The shirt was as cozy as I remembered and still smelled the same. I hated that my hair was dripping water on it and taking away part of that comfort. One look at the way Zach ran his hands through his hair on the couch told me that this wasn't meant to be a comfortable night. I sat down at the other end of the couch and wished I had his sweatshirt too. There was a chill in the air and I wasn't prepared.

"So Cammie. What are you doing here?" I don't know if it was just the built up stress and disappointments throughout the day that I couldn't let out. But that question triggered me and Zach just happened to be there. And my tongue felt like a dagger in my mouth.

"I'm sorry to inconvenience you. I'm sure you had a busy night planned. But my room is occupied by your roommate and I had no where to go." I crossed my arms and huffed but he just studied me with his eyebrows raised.

"I didn't mean here, in this apartment. I meant here, at Georgetown." I felt some of the anger come to a simmer.

"My mom went out of town today. Her friend had a death in the family and she wanted to be there to support her." I couldn't hate my mother for that. And I didn't, it was just all the shit that happened today started with that.

"I'm sorry, Gallagher Girl. For your mom and for Grant."

"Yeah, well I couldn't exactly tell Bex 'no'." He started to smile and my pot of anger had finally boiled over and it was just all steam now.

"You can always come here." He looked sincere and I wanted to believe him. But I remembered why I was avoiding him for the last two weeks.

"I don't want to get in the way of whatever you have going on with that girl." His eyebrows raised in confusion.

"What girl?" I wanted to smack him. There was only one girl that I had seen him laugh like that with.

"The girl from the game. You looked like you were having a nice time talking to her." I couldn't hide the bitterness in my tone and Zach started laughing.

"Are you serious? You've been giving me the cold shoulder because of Tina?"

 _She has a name_. My eyes narrowed slightly and he just laughed harder.

"Gallagher Girl, we were just talking. She kept looking over at Alex and laughing really loudly."

"Yeah, I noticed." I mumbled and he stopped laughing but was still staring at me.

"Look, she used to date Alex and I think she was trying to make him jealous." I still sat with my arms crossed and Zach started to smirk.  
"Looks like he wasn't the only target." He scooted closer on the couch to see the blush rising in my cheeks. "Gallagher Girl, were you jealous?"

"No!" I snapped the only reasonable response for someone who was clearly jealous. He studied me a bit longer before breaking contact and looking toward the TV.

"Ok Gallagher Girl. Whatever you say."

"So I wasn't interrupting any plans tonight?"

"Nope." He had a pop on the p and for once, I wondered why he was here before break.

"And that conversation you were having?" His eyes got dark and his smirk fell.

"Was nothing of interest." It was my turn to study him and see if he would crack. But he was strong, much stronger than I am.

"Well, while I'm stuck here, mind if I order some pizza?" He stretched out on the couch.

"Okay but no pineapple." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"First off, pineapple doesn't belong on pizza. But second off, who said you were getting any?" He gave me a lopsided smile.

"What kind of guest wouldn't at least offer food for the host? After providing a nice change of clothes and the best entertainment this dorm could offer," he motioned to the Netflix symbol popping up on the TV. "How could you not offer your gracious host food?"

"I don't know? What kind of host wouldn't offer their guest food? Or at least a drink."

"Well I wouldn't want to be too forward giving you a drink while watching Netflix. I'm not that kind of guy." The serious looking boy seemed like miles away from the one on the couch now. He was carefree and flirty. He was doing everything that I was trying to avoid. And here I was, in his shirt diving for the remote in his hands.

"Fine. You can have a slice but only if I get to pick what we watch." He held it just out of reach and I kept diving across him.

"What's the magic word?" I glared at him.

"Give it, Blackthorne Boy." He frowned and held the remote higher. I sighed defeated.

"Please." He smiled and gave me the remote.

"Better. Just no chickflicks." I sat up and started flipping through the TV show options.

"Ok, what about How I Met Your Mother?" His face looked confused.

"Trust me Gallagher Girl, you haven't met my mother." His voice sounded like he was trying to joke, but there was something dark about it.

"Zach it's a TV show. Possibly one of the best sitcoms of this time."

"Never heard of it." I sat there gaping at him.

"Okay, we're watching this. Order the pizza, make it a large because we're going to be here a while."

I settled down into the couch, getting ready for a binge watching of the first season. My hair was still dripping, but it didn't bother me anymore. Nothing really bothered me anymore. I was warm again, with the comfiest shirt, a large pizza on the way, and the beginning of my favorite TV show. And the company didn't hurt.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: This is chapter 20! 20! I never thought I would have made it to this point. Every chapter I write I get more and more excited. There's so much tension right now and I cannot wait for that kiss. I know it feels like I'm going slow, but they took a whole semester before they kissed! And then almost a whole year until they did again! I've got a pace and I have a plan. That is why I am so excited with each chapter I write! Please enjoy this one. It's a little dark with Zach's backstory, but filled with banter as well.**

Chapter 20

"So Ted goes to this party every year hoping to find the slutty pumpkin?" I smiled thinking of how hopelessly romantic it was.

"Yeah. Every year, hoping that she's the one." He was silent, munching on the last slice of pizza.

"She won't be." He sounded so cynical it made me stop chewing my pizza.

"And how do you know that?"

"Well first of all, the girl dressed like a slutty pumpkin. If he was in to that, the conversation would have gone better and he would have made sure he got her number."

"But she wrote it on the candy bar!" He shook his head.

"Exactly. She wasn't that interested. If she was, she would have put it in his phone directly or wrote it on his hand. You don't put something like that on something disposable if you're really interested."

"And how do you know so much about this, love expert?"

"This is when that psychology major comes in handy. I know the psychology behind it if they put their number on something disposable when there are clearly other options. She wasn't interested. And he's only showing up hoping that she could be there to get a hook up." He just debunked the whole slutty pumpkin story line and I couldn't argue with him.

"Okay Dr. Goode. She isn't the mother. Who do you think it is?" He sat in silence thinking for a moment.

"Probably hasn't come along yet. I'm guessing he's going to be caught up on Robin for a while." Well he wasn't wrong.

"Why do you think that?" He shrugged.

"I've seen how breakups change people. They're stuck on them for a long time. Could be years." I started imagining what being stuck on Josh for years would be like.

"And what makes them break free?" He gave a little half smile.

"I'll let you know when I find out. Lucas has been stuck for over a year now." My face started to fall. I knew Lucas had something happen. He was fun and flirty, but I knew he wasn't looking for anything. I just wish he could be able to move on.

"I think it comes on it's own. Just one day, it doesn't hurt anymore." He was looking at me like I was puzzle. Probably trying to calculate my timer on when I would move on.

"Is that from experience?" Was I ready to open up that flood gate? Did I really want to stroll down memory lane and see the writing on the wall that Josh loved DeeDee all along? I thought about my crappy day and I didn't want to add to it.

"That is a story for another time." He finished off the crust of his pizza.

"Well, I'm here all week." I thought about how empty the campus was. How most of the students scattered to whatever corner of the world to be with family on Thanksgiving. It was shot in the dark that he would be here. I was hoping he would be but I was a little surprised when he was here and didn't seem that he was going anywhere.

"Why are you here?" He gave me a half laugh.

"Well Gallagher Girl, this is my dorm." I shook my head.

"No, I mean here at Georgetown. Don't you go home for breaks?" The playful smirk on his lips vanished. His mouth twitched into a wince but it fell back to a thin line.

"That's a story for another time."

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"Oh my gosh, that looks so good!" Lily was reading off the recipe for the layered dip.

"I don't know if I would say jars of mayonnaise and jellybeans sound good." When he said it that way, it sounded awful.

"I just want some Thanksgiving food. Like real Thanksgiving food."

"And a loud family like that?" Marshall's family was on the extreme side. But I would take that in a heartbeat if it meant having a whole family.

"There could be worse things." My voice trailed off at the end and he nodded.

"Yeah. At least they're together." The words hit hard. As much as I craved a real Thanksgiving meal, right now I would settle for toast if it meant I could be with my mom. I didn't think anyone else knew what that felt like, but seeing Zach right now, I thought maybe we had more in common.

"What's your Thanksgiving like?" He gave out a laugh but it held no humor. When he met my eyes they looked timid.

"You really want to know?" All I knew was that there was a reason that we were both stuck here.

"Yes." His posture straightened, marking the end of comfort.

"I haven't had a Thanksgiving since I was four. I haven't had a good Christmas since I was seven. And my last birthday that my mom actually remembered was when I turned twelve." There was a silence coursing through the room then. He was still straight as an arrow on the couch and I had to restrain myself from diving over to him and hugging him tightly. I thought I had it bad because my dad was gone and my mom cancelled on me. I always knew there could be worse situations.

"I'm sorry Zach. Why didn't you tell me?" The corners of his mouth tugged at the corners.

"Well that's not something I really want to talk about. Besides, everyone gives you that look when they find out the whole story." I knew the look he was talking about. I got used to it and with time it was more and more subtle.

"I still would have liked to know." He slumped down a little more.

"Well, that's what I'm doing now." I let the facts absorb into my head. Things were starting to make sense about Zach. But there was still more.

"Can I hear the whole story? I mean only if you want." There was a storm behind his eyes. I wasn't sure if he was going to tell me but then he took a deep breath.

"It wasn't always so bad. Until I was four, my mom was seeing Joe. She was happy, but right around my fourth birthday, things went downhill. I didn't understand what happened at the time but Joe left. And that's when my mom started going crazy." I was already curling my legs up to my chest.

"I didn't get it at the time. She just didn't come home some nights, or would stay in her room all day. I kept asking when Joe was coming back and she would just start crying. And one day he did come back. I thought that would fix everything, but my mom started hitting him. She threatened to kill him. But he said something then that stuck with me. She was hitting him and asking why he came back. She wanted it to be because of her, but he looked at me and said, 'I'm here for him.'"

"Is Joe your father?" He shook his head.

"Never met him. All I know is that he was a pilot and lived in England. My mom told me he had a whole other family there and we didn't need him."

"You haven't tried finding him?"

"No. It wasn't worth it. Besides, I had Joe."

"So what happened? Did he stick around?" He shook his head.

"No. But he did check in on me a lot. He took me for a summer. Best summer of my life. But it had to end at some point. After he got me into Blackthorne, he said he had to go to work. He wasn't around much but at least he got me out of there."

"Where's your mom?" He went rigid again.

"She finally got help. It took her years, but she finally got sent to a hospital and she's still there." More and more pieces were falling into place.

"And you haven't gone to see her." It wasn't a question, just a statement. That's who he was talking to on the phone. Joe wanted him to go see her and he wasn't going to.

"No. I went once a month when I was twelve and that was the last time I saw her as a mom. She was more caring, I think it was the medicine she was on. But after that she went downhill. I went for my birthday when I was thirteen and she didn't say anything. I gave her some slack. She was having a bad day. But then I went when I was fourteen and fifteen and nothing. That's when I stopped going." I couldn't help it. I hugged him tightly and he started to relax.

"You've been on your own for so long." I felt a tear spill down my cheek, but he didn't sound hurt at all.

"Not exactly. I spent my breaks with Grant or Jonas. Now Grant's family is like Marshall's. Big, loud, and they're Yankees." He shuddered and I felt myself smiling.

"Do they make this twelve layer dip with mayo and jellybeans?" I felt the vibrations of his laugh on his chest.

"No, but they do make this pie. It's the weirdest thing ever. It has oreo's and coco pebbles. And burnt marshmallows on top." My mouth was watering thinking about the pie.

"That sounds amazing." I looked up and saw his smile.

"Yeah, it was pretty good." I would kill for that pie. Or anything that marked the holiday.

"I want some of that pie."

"I'll see if Grant can bring some back." I groaned.

"But that's like a week away."

"We can make our own." I pulled back and looked at him questioningly.

"I mean we're both here all week. You can be alone all week and ordering pizza, or…." He trailed off.

"Or we combine the contents of our kitchens and make the best damn Thanksgiving meal out of a microwave." He was smiling now and that darkness on his face was completely gone.

"Like a ramen and easy mac casserole."

"With a hot Cheetos crust!" He stuck his tongue out.

"Sounds delicious."

"You'll find that I'm quite the chef, Zachary Goode." He smirked at me.

"Oh yeah? You've used an over before?" I was feeling cocky now.

"Yes I have. I made cookies." His smirk was more prominent now.

"Wow. That's wifey material." I started to laugh then it caught in my throat. _Wifey material._ I've been called a lot. Normal. A girl next door. Average. But never wifey material. Maybe that's why I was blushing and his smirk turned into an actual smile.

"Yeah a real wifey wearing men's shirts and knotted hair." I threw my hair up in a bun but some of the strands broke free. He took the ends of one of the strands and let it fall.

"That's classic wifey. You want to know a secret?" I nodded and his eyes made direct contact with mine.

"When a guy really loves you, he won't care what you wear. You'll be beautiful anyway." I felt speechless again. There were so many ways to take that and I wasn't sure which way it needed to go. I broke eye contact.

"So are we actually doing this?"

"This being…" There was that sultry voice that made my knees go weak.

"The pie. And Thanksgiving."

"Yeah. We're both going to be here anyway."

"Netflix and microwave Thanksgiving. Sounds great." So maybe I wasn't going to be completely alone. And that was about the same that I was going to do with my mom.

"So about this Lily, Marshall, Ted living thing."

"What? You think it isn't realistic." He shook his head.

"It could be. I just don't know how he does it. I can barely be around Grant and Bex for ten minutes before wanting to leave."

"I don't think they'll be the type to live with another person. If tonight's an indicator, I think there will be a lot more sleepovers." I expected him to roll his eyes at the inconvenience but he just smirked.

"Well that means we can watch this whole series."  
We were only half way through season one and I already thought it was going too fast.

00000000000000

"Do you believe that? That the moment leading up to the kiss is the best?" We got into a habit of inputing commentary. I was usually strictly no talking, but it was different.

"Yes." Short and simple answer. So I motioned for him to go on.

"Well if you have a kiss that there's no build up, then it's not as great. The moment before kind of sets the tone for the kiss." I thought about all the kisses I've had. How each one didn't have much build up and I think I was trying to overcompensate with the kiss.

"Well that explains it." I grumbled but Zach heard.

"Explains what?"

"Well, every kiss I've had has just been okay. Josh always rushed into it and there was never much there." It felt weird opening up that little bit about Josh.

"Maybe you just didn't have chemistry." That word again.

"Chemistry? What even is chemistry?"

"Well it's the study of molecular-" I threw a pillow at him. He threw it back at me laughing.

"I don't know. I think chemistry is when things just work. Nothing is forced and you can be friends but still be more." Jonas once said that we had chemistry. If Zach's definition was right, I guess we did.

"Have you ever had chemistry with someone?" I held my breath waiting for his answer.

"I might." He looked at me and there was something completely vulnerable about his expression. Like he was telling me some deep dark secret. Instead of spilling it all though he just grabbed another pillow and laid it on my propped up legs. He laid down and it was easier to talk to him when he wasn't staring at me like that.  
We watched a few more episodes with random comments when a thought occurred to me. After finding out more about who he was, I realized I didn't know some of the basics.

"Zach?" I peered over my knees to see his eyes were closed.

"Mhm." He was definitely close to sleep.

"When's your birthday?" He was silent for a few seconds and I thought he was already asleep. But then I heard his groggy voice.

"December 15th." I heard his breathing even out and I knew he was asleep.

December 15th. That was three weeks away. I had three weeks to make sure there was at least something planned. He deserved it.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Every time I write a new chapter, I think of something new to add to the story, so one chapter in my mind ends up being three. This is the result of one of those ideas, but I'm not even mad. This chapter is definitely very fluffy (but who doesn't mind that). It's cute and there's some development there.**

Chapter 21

There was a pain in my neck from sleeping with it on the armrest all night. I moved my head to the left and I heard a pop. It gave a little relief, but I needed to get up and stretch. Except, getting up was a bit impossible at the moment.

There was a mop of dark brown hair on my stomach and arms wrapped around my waist. The pillow that was on me knees last night was now on the floor and he was using me as a pillow. I tried slipping off the couch but he had a strong grip around me.

"Zach." I whispered loudly and he didn't stir.

"Zachhhh." I started poking his cheek. That just made his nuzzle into my stomach more.

"Zach. Wake up." He tightened his grip and buried his face.

"Five more minutes," was the muffled response I got. My whole body slumped, defeated. So what would reasonable girl do when she was being cuddled by a very attractive boy? She would turn on some Netflix and let it be. And I was a reasonable girl, wasn't I?

So I put on an episode of Friends (another great sitcom) and I waited. And I waited. Two episodes went by and he didn't so much as stir. It was only seven, but it was a Saturday. Usually that was our running day, but I could tell he had a different schedule on holidays. I didn't mind, except that I was getting hungry and was starting to feel the urge to pee. I subtly tried to ease upward, but that just resulted in my shirt lifting high enough for a sliver of skin to be exposed. Zach's fingers were already placed right on the sliver and I felt goosebumps race up my side. Again, I was stuck.

Near the end of the fourth episode I was caught off guard, and not because Rachel and Joey had just kissed (that was actually one of my favorite episodes).

"Rachel and Joey should have been together." His voice held no sleepy tones. He was completely awake so I leaned over to the side to see his eyes wide open.

"You're awake?" He looked up a little and had a timid look on his face.

"Yeah, I have been since the start of this episode. You're laughing woke me up and I like Friends." I started squirming and his grip loosened a little.

"Are you kidding me? I've had to pee for like thirty minutes." His smirk plastered on his face and a playful look danced in his eyes. His hands tightened on my sides and I felt dread fill my face. This was it. This is where I die.

"Oh, you do?" This was a prime tickling position, and I hated it, but I was tickilish.

"Zach, don't." His hands danced lightly on my sides, but I knew they would turn deadly. And the minute I tried throwing myself off the couch was when they did. I was half falling off the couch but he still had a hold of me and my sides were aching now. I was screeching as he kept tickling me and he just laughed.

"Zach!" My head was now on the ground and I was slowly slipping down. When my shoulder touched, the tickling stopped. I slid the rest of the way to the ground and was catching my breath.

"I call a foul." He just stretched out on the couch with his hands behind his head.

"What are you going to do about it?" I felt myself smirking.

"You're going to buy me breakfast." He just shrugged and reached for his shoes on the ground

"Sure. I was going to do that anyway." I was in the middle of standing up and paused. My eyebrows furrowed together.

"You were?" He nodded.

"I figured you didn't have your wallet. And it's my love crazed roommates fault you had to stay here." He was right, I didn't have my wallet. And his reasons made sense but I still felt myself smiling.

"So where will it be? I want some waffles." His faced scrunched up.

"Waffles are fine, but pancakes are better." I felt a defensive wall go up. There was one philosophy that I would stand my ground on, waffles were better than pancakes.

"That is a bold statement Blackthorne Boy." He smirked but was already standing towards the door. "Waffles have those little syrup wells that gives every bite a perfect balance of cake and syrup. Pancakes always fall flat." The corners of his mouth tugged into a smile at my joke.

"Cute. But a good pancake doesn't need syrup." I crossed my arms defiant.

"Waffles represent all that is good in life. They have never let me down." I poked his chest defending my point. He just gave me that Zach look that felt like he was reading me.

"You just haven't had the right pancake. I'll change your mind."

00000000000000

"So?" I was still chewing the chocolate chip pancake. It was buttery and rich and chocolatey. I didn't want to admit it, but it was great. It made my stomach happy and seeing the smirk on Zach's face, made me wish it didn't.

"It's good." I tried keeping a straight face, but when I put another bite in my mouth I smiled. Zach just threw a fist into the air.

"Yes! Pancakes have won!" Luckily there was only an older couple in the diner and they didn't mind his yelling.

"Alright, now admit it." He started digging into his blueberry pancakes waiting for my ultimate defeat.

"Alright, Alright. These pancakes are better than waffles."

"I told you I would change your mind. You just needed the right pancakes." I thought about my experience with pancakes.

"The only real pancakes that I've had were these no wheat, flax seed, organic blueberry things Josh's mom made. Those and frozen pancakes." Zach just shook his head.

"Those don't deserve to be called pancakes. Here," he handed me a fork full of blueberry deliciousness, "try a real blueberry pancake." The minute I took a bite, I knew I've been giving pancakes a bad rep for the wrong reasons. Sure waffles were still amazing, but I would be content to have these pancakes for the rest of my life.

We were eating in a comfortable silence when my phone buzzed.

 _Bex: Where are you?_

 ** _Breakfast. Is it safe for me to come back?_**

 _Yeah. We were going to go eat brunch together._

 ** _Brunch? Are you married already?_**

 _Lol not yet._

"My dorm is clear." I must have imagined it, but his smile dropped a little.

"Great, that means I have to go home to a lovestruck Grant."

"Not yet. They're going to brunch." His nose wrinkled.

"Brunch? They might as well settle down in the suburbs and have their two kids already." It was such a coupley thing to do. Brunch was the meal for couples. Not like breakfast at a diner. That was made for friends, and hungover students.

"Well if I get kicked out again tonight, I'm bringing a change of clothes."

"You mean you don't like wearing my shirt out in public?" No matter how soft and comfy it was, it was still very much a male's shirt. Too long and big for me and everyone could tell. That paired with my messy ponytail probably screamed morning after. If only they knew the circumstances that lead to me in that shirt.

"I need to change. I can't wear this out. People start staring."

"Only because they've never seen that shirt look so good on someone." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"I doubt that. This is your shirt after all." Though I had never seen him wear it, I know he looks good in it. It's big on me, but I bet it fits over his muscles well. He had a lighthearted laugh and rubbed the back of my neck. Did I make him nervous? Did I just openly flirt with Zachary Goode?

I didn't have much time to think of what a bold move that was, because the older couple in the diner approached our table. They were so put together that I felt self conscious with what I looked like. I tried fixing my hair the best I could and made sure the shirt wasn't hanging at a weird angle.

"Are ya'll enjoying your Saturday?" The woman had a soft southern draw.

She reminded me of Liz in the future.

"Yes ma'am we are." Zach had a charming smile on his face. The woman looked like putty in his hands.

"Oh Glen, don't they remind you of us?" She patted his arm but he just smiled. "Don't you remember being this young and in love? How we went out to breakfast every time you came to visit me?" She turned her attention back to us, "We couldn't keep our hands off of each other. I'm sure you know what I mean." She winked but we both went still in the booth.

"Oh, um… we're not dating."

"Oh?" She looked as embarrassed as I felt. "I'm sorry dear. It just looked like…" She trailed off and let the words hang in the air. I looked down at my hands and started fiddling with the ends of Zach's shirt.

"It's okay ma'am. Cammie and I are just good friends." I saw Glen and his wife share a look. It looked like they had the same thought as they smiled back at us. I glanced up at Zach to see if he had a clue, but he was still as shell shocked as I was.

"Well, friends are great things to have. I do hope you enjoy your Saturday." She gave us a warm smile and looped her arm through her husbands and headed towards the door. We were still sitting in silence watching them leave.

"Well I am stuffed." I rushed to agree with him and grabbed my keys from the table. He threw down some cash and we headed towards the door. I felt like I was in a daze when I drove back to campus. I was gripping the steering wheel too tight and my posture was too straight. I risked a glance at Zach and he was staring out the window, so I gave myself a little longer to take in his mood. He was sitting straight and his foot was shaking. He looked like he was as anxious as I was to end this awkward car ride. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked over at me. He looked caught off guard that I was already looking and I snapped my attention back to the red light. But the damage was already done. I felt his gaze linger on me a little longer before returning out the window.

It felt like the longest ride in my life and I was relived when I finally parked. We sat in silence and I felt like I needed to say something.

"So…"

"So…" He stretched his word out longer than mine.

"That lady was a little funny, huh." I tried to smile but it faltered. I wanted to show that I wasn't as rattled by her assumption, than I felt.

"Yeah. Older people are so old fashioned. They see a boy and a girl and just assume they're dating." But I didn't think they were old fashioned. I could sense that they were some hell raisers in their day. The way she didn't shame me for wearing his shirt, I could see she was progressive. But I put that thought away.

"Yeah, it's like they don't think boys and girls can be friends." He let out a laugh and the tension started to break.

"Yeah. The age old question."

"You know there's a whole movie about that." He looked at me for the first time since we parked and his eyes lit up.

"Yeah, When Harry Met Sally." I leaned on the console.

"Yeah! It's a great movie." He cracked a smile again.

"We should watch that next time." I unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the car.

"Don't forget about the rest of How I Met Your Mother."

"Please. We can finish that this week." This week. My week alone. With Zach. I felt the pancakes in my stomach doing a little flip. "Besides, you know you have to break up a TV series with a few movies."

The tension from the car was completely gone now that we were inside, closer to my door.

"Fine. We watch When Harry met Sally and then we finish season one."

"Sounds like fun, Squirt. I'll bring the popcorn." I froze in my track at the sight of my aunt leaning on my door. She looked like she could have just walked off the runway at a fashion show, not the runway at a flight field.

"Aren't you going to introduce your favorite aunt?"

 **I had to. I love Abby and I had to put her in the story. Thank you so much for the reviews again!**

 **Gymnast1150: Thank you! BTW love your stories! I can't wait for your next update of Addicted to Rock**

 **: All the Zammie moments when they're not together! Cammie is definitely starting to notice how coupley they are in this chapter.**

 **Swmmrgrl09: I will try to fill your update needs! Next week starts the first day of school, so it might take a little longer now, but I will try!**

 **Luckyme22: Thank you! You're honestly so sweet and such a loyal reviewer.**

 **MyGallagherGirl66: Thank you! So seeing your story actually got me into listening to Hamilton (I know I'm late to the party). But since I never really heard it, but knew the basic gist I listened to the soundtrack and am in love! I am so interested in how the whole Cammie (Eliza) and Bex (Angelica) is going to play out since they're both in love with Alexander. Keep up the good work!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thank you for being patient. The updates might be slow, but I am committed to this story! I am warning you, updates will be a lot slower now. My stress level is at an eleven and school starts Monday. So many lessons to plan and power points to make! I know this update is a little slower, and I'm not as happy with it as I wanted. Of course I would want Abby around all the time, but then the story would never move forward. So it's a little fluffy, a little Abby story and a big realization of some feelings. (Also as much as I love Tabby, seriously my favorite, it's not going to make it into this one) Enjoy!**

Chapter 22

"Abby?" It sounded like a question. To be honest, I wasn't really sure that she was there. I hadn't seen her in years and it was like seeing a ghost.

"What are you doing here?" She cocked a hip as she nodded towards my door.

"Well you didn't think your favorite aunt was going to let you spend Thanksgiving alone, did you Squirt?" She eyed Zach and a devilish smile grew on her face.

"But it appears you're not alone. Hi, I'm Abigail Cameron." She extended her hand towards Zach and he shook it, probably still in a daze by her beauty. She was like an older, more carefree version of Macey. Probably one of the most beautiful women in the world, and men always noticed.

"Zach." She smiled warmly at him then turned her attention back to me.

"Well Zach, do you mind if I steal her for a while? I haven't seen her in five years and I want to catch up with my gorgeous niece."

"Of course. I was just walking her back anyway." Abby clutched her heart and swooned.

"What a gentleman. Isn't he a gentleman, Cam?" I ignored her and faced Zach.

"I'll see you later." He smiled at me. All the awkwardness from the car disappeared. It's like Abby brought this light carefree attitude with her and all else just disappeared.

"Yeah. Just stop by. I'll make sure to have some ramen." He winked at me and I wanted to be buried six feet under right there. Abby had that look that Macey gets when something incredibly embarrassing/interesting has happened. And I was going to pay for it when we were alone.

"I'll take good care of her." She looped her arm through mine and gave a delicate wave. Sure she was in her early 40's, but I knew she felt at home on the college campus. She took in my dorm like it was a palace.

"Oh Cammie," She sank into the couch and looked at me with admiration, "Look at you. All grown up and breaking rules, and stealing hearts. I don't know which makes me prouder."

"I'm not breaking rules," I said defiantly. I had done nothing wrong. She just countered my comment with an arched eyebrow.

"I heard about the drunken night. And care to explain your outfit." Of course she had to catch me wearing Zach's shirt. In five years, she couldn't have come any other time. Not the time I went to prom, or the time I won state track meet. No she had to be there the morning after I slept at Zach's in his shirt.

"Ok, now before you say anything, let me explain." She was on the edge of her seat in anticipation.

"I stayed the night last night, but I swear nothing happened… well nothing besides unintentional cuddling." She arched her eyebrows but remained silent.

"My roommate is dating his roommate and she planned a special night because I wasn't supposed to be there. So I got kicked out of my room and he was the only person I could turn to. But were not dating or anything. Just friends." She looked deflated and like she was going to burst from excitement at the same time.

"Yeah. That's about it."

"Cameron Ann Morgan, you are in denial."

"What?" She rolled her eyes.

"Cuddling doesn't just unintentionally happen. There had to have been a moment when either of you knew." I winced and she took advantage of my weakness. I wasn't sure if it was the Aunt in her or the Air force professional in her that caught the mistake, but I still felt like I was under interrogation.

"How long?"

"I don't know… four episodes." She just crossed her arms and leaned back.

"Yeah, that wasn't unintentional."

"It doesn't matter. We're just friends. How many times do I have to say that?" I questioned/yelled in exasperation. She let my voice settle and kept her voice level and patted the cushion next to her.

"Spill." What was it I said about interrogation? She didn't even need to use any of her military tactics, I just gave her whatever she wanted.

"It all started when he stole my dryer. I hated him for a while and then I found his shirt in my clothes pile. This shirt actually." I smiled slightly to myself, thinking of how far we've come.

"Well after that I went to this frat party and wanted to play pool. There was a group of boys and I went up to them, and well, there he was. I hung out with them and they're all really great. So every Saturday, I hang out with them."

"Wow you already have the friends approval. That's the hardest part."

"No I have approval to be their friend. That's all we are. Sure there may be some type of chemistry between us, and a lot of times where I thought we were going to kiss, but it's just not an option." She actually pouted a little.

"Who says it can't be an option?"

"It's just not. We're good as friends and I don't want to mess that up." She gave a long sigh.

"Look Squirt, I'm about to say something and I want you to listen." I looked her in the eyes waiting for whatever she was going to say.

"You can deny how you feel all you want, but once you stop, it only gets better. So you can either keep everything as friends, and it will be fine. There will always be something there but one day one of you will move on. And then you're going to look back at what could have been. Now is the time. He likes you and you like him. So it's up to you." There was a lot to take in, but the thing that really stuck was that she said he liked me. A person, who was basically a stranger said he liked me. That's the third person today.

"You really think he likes me?" She just laughed.

"Oh Cammie. Did you see the way he looks at you?" I thought of all the times he looked at me, and all the different faces of Zachary Goode.

"Okay, here's what I'm going to do." She sat up straighter on the couch, "I can stay with you this week and we can hang out doing girl things. Or, I can tell your mom that you found a friend to stay with and you can think about what I said. I'm not saying you have to decide right now, although I wouldn't be opposed to a really dramatic kiss while I'm here." I felt myself blush. It sounded so simple coming from Abby. I could take the chance and it would all work out. But it isn't always that simple. I knew that it wasn't.

"Well while you're here for the day, want to grab some lunch?"

"Go change. We have five years to catch up on before I head back to base."

"You were going to take leave for me?" She looked thoughtfully.

"Well I have the week off. But I also have a friend in Brazil I can go visit." I heard the inflection on the word friend.

"Now Abby, you can either stay friends and it would be fine, or…"

"Har har. Go get dressed. Or don't. That name looks good on you."

0000000000000

I made my way to Zach's but there was a new feeling in my stomach. That feeling you get when you have a new crush and your body is saying 'run the other way because you're going to mess this up' and your mind turns to mush. Why do people like having crushes?

Somehow my arm lifted and I knocked on the door. At that point my mind kicked started back into gear.

 _What is wrong with me? This is just a normal night. Same as last night._

I regained a little confidence. I shouldn't be nervous to talk to him. But then the door opened and I think oxygen was cut off from my brain.

"Hey Gallagher Girl." My mouth wasn't working anymore. Why wasn't it working? Why did Abby have to come and tell me I liked him? I could at least talk when I didn't know I liked him.

"Hi." My voice was soft and shaky. He gave me a look that told me I was crazy.

"You ready for this? I got popcorn. I got Netflix. I got ramen."

I don't think I heard a word he said. My mind was still at civil war and I wasn't sure which one was going to win. I was a complete idiot around him now. Why can't I even talk? I couldn't have that. So I made the executive decision to stop staring at him and listen to what he was saying. I couldn't let my brain go into crush mode.

"So that was your aunt?" Good. Perfect thing to talk about. I could do this!

"Yeah. I know I couldn't believe it either." His forehead crinkled.

"Are you kidding? I think you're a lot like her." The war in my head was sent into a halt and then it was louder than ever. Never, in my almost 19 years of life have I been compared to Abigail Cameron.

"Seriously? I look nothing like her. I take after my dad."

"No. You both have the same smile, and the same frame." Aunt Abby had the build of a swimsuit model. Did he just inadvertently say I had a great body? The crush instincts were kicking in and I felt my brain freeze up. No. No. NO. I can't do that!

"Is she staying this week?" He looked timid. Did he want her to stay? Or did he want her to go? Why were men so unreadable?

"She's going back to base. And then I think she's going to Brazil." His eyebrows arched.

"What's she doing in Brazil?" I smirked.

"Alejandro is in Brazil. Her very good 'friend'."

"Right. A friend of hers." I laughed.

"Yeah. I don't believe it for a second. Abby has never been platonic friends with any man." I thought about how men just drooled all over her, more so than my mom. "The only person that didn't fall for her charm was my dad. Mom said that Abby tried a few lines, but he took them too seriously. That's when she decided to set him up with my mom." I felt myself smiling and laughing. The tears didn't come this time.

"Sounds like a good sister."

"My mom would disagree. But I think she's great. I've missed her." Until that moment I didn't know how much. I hadn't seen her in five years. That's forever in girl time. In that time I had my first kiss, first break up, broke school records, graduated and started college. That's a lot of milestones in a girl's life, and I wished she could have been there for it.

"What does she do?"

"She's in the Air Force. She travels a lot, but she told me she's going to be around more." He just nodded.

"Do you think she will be?" I wasn't really sure. I've always known that Aunt Abby never really had roots. She was much more freespirited and liked to travel the world. And then there was this mystery friend in Brazil.

"I'll believe it when I see it. She might run away with Alejandro." He cracked a smile.

"Yeah. Friends run away with each other all the time."

"Speaking of friends… how's Grant?" Bex had been freaking out about meeting Grant's family. She was frantic until Grant knocked on the door, then she put on her calm, cool demeanor and you never would have known she had a melt down minutes before.

"He's good. A little nervous."

"Why is he nervous? It's his family." He cracked a smile.

"That's what he's worried about. I told you his family was big and loud, he doesn't want them scaring her away." I had a feeling Bex would fit right in with his family. Not that she was big and loud, but she was definitely dramatic and knew how to hold her own.

"His family just better hope they don't play any board games. She is the worst winner and loser. See this bruise," I was surprised it was still there. Just a light spot on my knee but it was still there. "That was from the night we played battleship. She was mad because I cheated and threw the board. Hit me right on the knee." He was inspecting it and there was amusement in his eyes.

"I wouldn't peg you as a cheater, Gallagher Girl."

"She says cheating, I say outwitting my opponent. I have a special trick. They can never find my destroyer." Not that I would tell him the trick. Then I could never win.

"You're an evil genius, aren't you?"

"Well someone has to use their powers for evil. We can't all be Liz." He shook his head laughing.

"Black lace indeed." The comment struck me like lightning. My stomach was fluttering and I was biting my lip. His eyes fluttered to my lips before looking away. I saw a flash of pink. I've seen everything now. Zachary Goode was blushing.

"So are we watching this movie or what?"

"Yeah. Solve the age old question." The question that dominates my life lately.

"Can men and women really be friends?" I thought about it for days. Weeks. And there was only one answer that I was dead set on. "Yes. I mean look at us." He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, look at us."

 **So much denial! Cammie is at war with herself. Don't you hate that? Personally when I start to like a guy I go with the tactic of don't talk to him, that will work. (It doesn't work) Anyway, I love your reviews and all the Hamilton fans out there! I would say my favorite character is Eliza and Lafayette (just for his rapping skills). Favorite song is so hard because they all get stuck in my head. Burn hits me hard but I really love Wait for it. What about you guys?**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Alright, this probably won't happen again for a long time, but I wasn't really satisfied with the last chapter (See what I did there). So I wrote another chapter, probably because I'm trying to procrastinate getting ready for tomorrow. Enjoy the Zammie fluff at the end!**

Chapter 23

"Oh my gosh Cammie! You will not believe how happy I am to be back!" Macey was already storming through the door throwing down suitcases and bags with every step.

It was Sunday afternoon and I was busy writing a paper that would be due on Tuesday. I had all week but every time I tried to start it Zach was there to distract me. And he was definitely a distraction.

Macey looked around at our quiet dorm, "Where's Liz? And Bex?"

"Not here yet. Liz left Alabama this morning, so she should be here late tonight. I haven't heard much from Bex besides a few texts, so no telling if she's back already."

She paused in the middle of the room and looked confused. "What do you mean she could be back already? Wouldn't she be here?" Oh, she didn't know. This would be fun. I copied that look that my Aunt wore so well when she knew something juicy.

"Oh. She didn't tell you?" I paused for dramatic effect and Macey looked like she wanted to strangle me. "Her and Grant have elevated their relationship to sleepovers. She could be staying there tonight." Macey's eyes bulged out of her head.

"What! When? Why didn't she tell me?" I relished in the little amount of power I had. I finally knew something before Macey, of course that's only because I was forced out of my room for two nights.

"She thought we were all going to be gone last Friday. I wouldn't have known if I wasn't still there." She looked furious.

"And she didn't think to tell us? I mean just shoot a quick text. She dishes about everything else and she doesn't think to even tell us that they slept together?" This went beyond knowing information, this was a test of friendship. And I knew Macey hated feeling like an outsider to this information. She was already tearing through her bag looking for her phone.

"Oh when I get ahold of her-" There was fire in her eyes and the sight of our beautiful British roommate walking through the door hand in hand with a lovestruck boy made her erupt.

"YOU SLEPT TOGETHER?" They both froze, jaws slack and Macey was crossing the room toward them. But Bex only turned to me.

"You told her?" What happened to all that power I felt? Now I just felt like a snitch. Macey shook her head.

"Don't blame Cammie. Why didn't you tell me? Aren't we friends?" Bex's eyes softened.

"Of course we are." Macey's face was still hardened.

"Then why didn't you tell me? This is huge!" Bex just looked embarrassed and Grant glanced awkwardly at him. Macey saw the look and smirked.

"Oh. Was it bad?" Bex went red and gripped Grant's hand tighter.

"What? No! Of course not!" She looked at Grant and kissed his cheek but he was still red.

"Um… I think I'm going to go. I had fun this week. I'll see you tomorrow?" She nodded and kissed him softly.

"I love you." He smiled ear to ear.

"I love you too."

When he left Macey just stared at her with a blank face. Bex started to look guilty.

"Macey, I know you're mad but it was just something that was personal and-"

"He said he loves you?" She was still yelling, but now it wasn't as harsh. There was a happiness in her eyes for our roommate. In a flash she was hugging her and Bex stood there dumbfounded.

"This is huge!" She pulled back and Bex was finally smiling and nodding.

"I was going to tell you when I got back. I just didn't have a lot of free time and it sounded like something to talk about when we were all together." She looked around.

"Where's Lizzie?"

"Not here yet. We can catch her up later. Now how was the family?" I had only gotten texts like, 'why do Americans eat so much' and 'this isn't real football' and my favorite 'Grant won't let me drive'. She just sighed and sat on the floor in front of me.

"It was fun, but exhausting. His mother had a lot of questions." Macey just nodded.

"Classic meeting the mother traits. Go on."

"His dad was pretty nice and he had three siblings. His sister fell in love with me and she told me all his embarrassing stories." She was recounting how his brothers challenged her to a game of football and how she teamed up with Grant's sister and kicked their ass.

"Oh yeah, there was a bit of an awkward moment."

"You can have awkward moments?" Everything about her was always so collected.

"Well one night, Grant snuck out of his room to see me and when he left his dad was in the hallway. So the next morning at breakfast Grant was really worried and his dad kept teasing him about it." Macey nodded.

"Now is that everything that happened? No other secrets?" I don't know why I said it, maybe it was because I had been deprived of a good nights sleep. Or that it has just been a secret that had been dying to come out.

"Zach kind of cuddled with me." There was a beat of silence as they turned to me.

"What?" They both questioned at the same time.

"How does that even happen?"

"Well after I was forbidden from staying in my room, thanks for that, I stayed with Zach and we fell asleep on the couch and when I woke up we were kind of cuddling." Macey blinked and shook her head.

"Wait. You stayed with Zach for two nights?" I recoiled. If I told her the truth I knew I couldn't say it was just because Bex and Grant were here. But I didn't want to keep it a secret.

"Five nights, actually." Bex looked like she was about to say something but I cut her off. "We were both here and there wasn't a point in spending Thanksgiving by ourselves, so we hung out this week." Macey had a smug smile on her face.

"Looks like Bex isn't the only one having sleep overs." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah but Bex's sleepovers have some other components. We just talk and watch Netflix. And sometimes get pancakes in the morning."

"Pancakes? I thought you didn't like pancakes."

"I just never had the right pancakes. These are great." Macey and Bex shared the same smile.

"Oh, I'm sure they are great pancakes."

"I think…" I took a deep breath. "I think I might like Zach." Macey turned to Bex.

"Bex, has hell froze over? Because I think Cameron Morgan just admitted to her feelings." Bex nodded.

"Must be why there's a chill in the air."

"There's a chill in the air because it's almost December. Guys, this is serious."

"Of course it is sweetie. You finally decided that you like him and now you're probably going to go through the spiel of how you aren't going to do anything for one of two reasons. One, you're going to say that he doesn't like you and you don't want to put yourself out there like that. Or two, you're going to say that you both work so well as friends and you don't want to mess it up. So which is it?" I sank backwards into the couch defeated and leaned on Macey's shoulder.

"Am I really that predictable?" She stroked my hair.

"Of course not, but that's what every girl says when they aren't going to make a move. You aren't going to make a move, are you?" I shook my head.

"Those two things are still right. I mean he might like me, but he's really not doing much about it and I think it's because he knows we're better as friends. Or there's some blood oath about not dating me between the guys."

"Do you want Grant to figure out what's going on with the guys side?" I shook my head frantically.

"No. They don't need to know. And I really don't want the other guys knowing anything."

"Cam, if you do start to date they will have to know."

"Which is why we aren't going to date. Like I said, he's not doing anything anyway." Bex and Macey exchanged a look. They've been doing that a lot lately and I was starting to get tired of it.

"Look I don't need anyone else telling me that I'm wrong or that I should give it a try. I got enough of that from Abby. I know I have some thinking to do, but it does no good if it's not mutual." They shared another look.

"Okay Cam. We won't say anything else about it." I finally relaxed a little.

"Thank you." We were silent. I could tell Bex still wanted to push me for more, but she showed restraint. I think Grant was a good influence on her and was starting to control her impulse.

"Well we know what I did over break. Macey? How was yours?" Macey let out a groan.

"The only good part was that Preston was at the gala." She started recounting her break and all the publicity events she had to attend, but I had heard it before. So instead, I tuned her out and started thinking. What am I going to do?

0000000000000000

It was well past midnight and I was still awake. Bex was snoring quietly and I just kept tossing and turning. My stomach started growling so I grabbed my phone and sent Zach a text. A minute later there was a knock on our door.

"What will it be tonight? I'm really craving a milkshake." He didn't even look tired. He wasn't really a night owl, but he definitely stayed up into the night.

"I could do a milkshake. As long as there are some fries to go with it." I grabbed my keys from the counter and slipped on my jacket.

"Oh there will definitely be fries." We started out the door towards the parking lot and he turned the opposite way.

"Where are you going? My car's this way." I motioned behind me he just smirked.

"I thought I could drive this time." He walked a few steps closer to the parked motorcycle and pulled out a couple of helmets. I slowly walked towards the bike in awe. He was already straddling the bike and had his helmet under his arm. He definitely looked the part; leather jacket, dark wash jeans, smug smirk on his face. Add in a few tattoos and you have a mother's worst nightmare. But he wasn't that. My mom already approved of him and she didn't even know him.

"You sure this is safe?" He gave a light hearted laugh.

"I haven't been in an accident yet." I couldn't help being a little apprehensive. I felt like my mother would be proud that I was asking these questions.

"Yeah, but how often do you ride with a passenger?" He extended the helmet out to me.

"Come on Gallagher Girl, live a little dangerously."

I grabbed it and hopped on the back. I tried holding on to the seat but he just looked back at me.

"I know I said live dangerously, but you're sure to fall off that way." He grabbed one of my hands and wrapped it around his waist.

"You have to hold on tightly." I wrapped my other arm around and I leaned closer so I was pressed against him. His jacket was cold but he was warm. The groove in his neck was exposed and I buried my nose into it. He tensed up for a second before relaxing again.

"You ready?" His voice was shaky and I wondered if he was nervous. I nodded into his neck and I heard the engine start. I tightened my grip, ready for my first ride.

The drive was less than ten minutes and by the end of it, I was relaxing a bit more. It was exhilarating feeling the wind and hearing the sounds. At red lights I heard the crickets chirping and looked up and saw all the stars in the sky. It was peaceful. We parked too soon though and I didn't want to get off.

Zach took his helmet off and looked back at me.

"So, did you have fun?" I nodded and he smiled while taking my helmet off. "I thought so." He tried getting up but I still had my arms wrapped around his waist. He patted my knee.

"Come on Gallagher Girl. There's milkshakes inside."

0000000000000

The drive back felt even shorter than the drive there. When he parked I tightened my grip again.

"No, I don't want to go." I saw his cheeks rise a little and I knew he was smiling.

"Gallagher Girl, it's almost two. It's time to get some sleep."

"But I'm not tired. I want to ride around." He looked over his shoulder.

"But I'm starting to get tired. And you don't want me driving when I'm tired." I smirked and leaned forward to his ear.

"You could always let me drive." He shivered from my whisper and then shook his head.

"Not tonight." I pouted but still sat firmly with my arms wrapped around him.

"Well I'm not moving." He didn't even hesitate before putting his hands under my thighs and throwing me on his back to walk.

"Zach!" He had a smirk on his face as he glanced at me.

"What? I'm giving you a ride?" I rolled my eyes.

"Not a piggy back ride."

"I'll take you for another ride this week." I held out my pinky in front of his face.

"Pinky promise?" He hooked his around mine.

"Pinky promise." He carried me to my door before dropping me. I unlocked it and leaned in the doorframe.

"Goodnight Zach." I was closing the door before his arm stopped it and pushed it open.

"Wait." I leaned back on the doorframe and his eyes were timid. He put his hands in his pocket and gave a deep breath.

"About this week… I had a good time." I found myself smiling.

"Yeah, me too." He gave me a genuine smile and stepped closer.

"We should do it again sometime."

"Well we do still have seven more seasons to get through."

"Only seven? What are we going to start after that?" He was too close now. My heart started racing. He looked at me more deeply than before.

"Cam, I-"

"Cammie? Is that you?" I looked behind me and Liz was rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah Liz." She gave a little yawn.

"What time is it?"

"It's bed time. I'll be in in a second." She nodded and I bet she thought she was still dreaming.

"Okay. Goodnight Cammie, goodnight Zach." I turned back to him but whatever trance had been broken.

"Well thanks again for this week. It meant a lot to me." At the mention of this week he perked up again.

"Yeah about this week."

"Don't worry. I won't tell any of the guys." His eyebrows furrowed together but eventually his shoulders slumped.

"Yeah. Okay. Goodnight Gallagher Girl." He looked defeated, but wasn't that what he was going to say. That we shouldn't talk about it. Because that's what I was already thinking.

"Goodnight Blackthorne Boy." He gave me a quick smile before turning back down the hallway. I closed the door and slid down to sit on the ground.

 _You're good as friends. You have to stay friends._

I said it over and over. Until it changed to something my dad told me after my first crush.

 _You'll know when it's right._

Now I wished I could ask him what right felt like.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I made it! I survived my first week! So my updates will probably be every other week now, there is still so much work to do, but I needed a little destressing. I am so excited, because things are about to start moving really quickly. Thanks for being patient!**

Chapter 24

"Let's go David! You can do this!" The guys started cheering with me. They were winning by a landslide, but it still felt nice to give him some encouragement. This game was colder than the last, but I came prepared. Well, for the most part.

I had a long sleeve, a heavy coat and an ear warmer, but about half way through I was still shivering. But Zach, being the guy that he is, took off his sweatshirt under his coat and let me wear it. I didn't want to admit it, but I had missed wearing his sweatshirt.

"Alright guys, are we ready for finals?"

I shuddered. I was having such a good time without that reminder. My first final was in five days and I still didn't feel prepared. Jonas barely looked away from his textbook (yeah, he brought a textbook to a game), and nodded.

"It's going to be a breeze." Lucas had a cocky grin on his face, but I had a feeling he wasn't ready. He was the type of guy that strongly believed in the cramming method. But it always works out for him.

"I'm just glad that our finals are done on Wednesday." We all nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that means we can leave Thursday to get down to Miami."

Okay, I know I was new to the group, but I was certain no one lived in Miami.

"Miami?" Nick looked at me in surprise, but then a look of realization crossed his face.

"Oh yeah, we had this scheduled before you joined us. David has a big lacrosse tournament that weekend in Miami, so we rented out a house on the beach and planned to stay for the weekend.

"Oh, that sounds like fun." I tried to hide my disappointment that they were doing something without me. I looked at Lucas and tried to give a grin, "Don't get into too much trouble without me."

It was their turn to share a look of confusion.

"Um… you're coming with us." I couldn't fight the smile that spread across my face.

"I am?" Zach laughed a little and smiled.

"Of course you are Gallagher Girl. We already planned that you were going to be there. I guess we just never asked you."

"Well I'm in!" I had something to look forward to now. I would just have to tell mom that I wasn't going to be at Gallagher until that Monday. Wait, I was supposed to be taking Bex with me until she left for London.

"Wait! Can I bring Bex?" Grant immediately started nodding but Jonas and Zach looked like they were having a silent conversation. Finally Jonas broke eye contact and looked at me.

"Yes. She can come." He turned to glare at Grant, "But no PDA in front of us."

Grant held his hands up innocently, "I'll keep my hands to myself, I can't promise she will. We are in Miami afterall." I cringed at the thought of three days with Bex and Grant and all their touchy feely love.

"When is his tournament?"

"It starts Friday night and ends Saturday. We have plenty of time to hang out."

I was getting excited. Not only because I was going somewhere warm in December, but that Saturday was Zach's birthday. I wanted to do something but it made it hard when it fell on the start of winter break. Now it was perfect.

"Great! That means we can go out for Zach's birthday." I bumped his shoulder and he went still. Grant looked surprised.

"What? That's your birthday?" He sent an annoyed look to Grant.

"Yeah. Remember?"

"Why didn't we ever do anything at Blackthorne?" Zach shrugged.

"It didn't seem important. Besides, most people were either gone for break or studying for tests." Lucas was rubbing his hands together and he looked determined. He looked a little bit like an evil genius and that scared me.

"Alright, new plan for Saturday. There's this really good bar right by the beach that we can go to. You're going to celebrate properly." A smile was starting to spread on Zach's face.

"Thanks guys." He turned to me and his voice was softer now. "You remembered when my birthday was?"

"Of course I did." He smiled warmly at me and his eyes looked darker. We sat there staring in silence before a cheer went through the crowd. I turned my attention back to the game to see them lining up to shake hands. We gathered our things to head back to our dorms.

"Next weekend is going to be awesome!" Lucas threw his fists up in victory. I laughed a little at his dramatics, but I knew he was right. Spending a whole weekend at the beach with the guys, that was going to be awesome.

"So are you going to ask Bex, or do you want me?"

"Let me. She would flip if she found out you were invited way before she was." I nodded knowing it was true. There would be hell to pay if she knew that she was invited because I was her home for the first week of break. Lucas slung his arm around my shoulder.

"Alright Camster. Now remember, were going to the beach so make sure to pack those bikinis." I swatted at his arm.

"Fine, I get it. You're part of the nudist beach crowd. A bold approach." A punched him in the ribs and he doubled over.

"Come on Camster, I'm kidding. You know I like to joke around with you." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. You couldn't handle it anyway." His jaw dropped and he rushed to catch up with me.

"Wait. Who says I can't handle it? I could handle anything." I shook my head laughing and then Jonas was next to me doing the same.

"Come on Lucas, let it go. She's not your type anyway."

"Yeah, but I could handle it." Jonas shrugged.

"Technically, we don't know what Cammie is like in a relationship. She could be a total panther." I was surprised to hear such a comparison from Jonas and started blushing. Nick and Zach were in front of us and both of them turned to look at me when they heard Jonas. Nick shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm thinking she's more of a kitten." My blush deepened. And that was before I saw Zach's smirk.

"Dude, she's way more than a kitten. She started a bar fight, that's more like a fox."

Lucas started smiling, "Yeah. I bet she's a fox. Or a tiger!"

I shook my head, "It doesn't matter what I am. You'll never find out."

"That's too bad." I rolled my eyes. His game was starting to wear thin. He gave up more easily. Zach told me he started talking to his ex again, so I was glad anytime he gave up on flirting. He didn't even give me a side eye anymore.

We continued our walk with conversations about our trip. Nick was talking about this really good taco place he went to down there. I tuned it out and my mind let myself overthink what Zach said. He said I was a fox. Did that mean he thought about me in that way before? Or was this just normal guy talk? I mean, Jonas is the one who started it, so it can't be too out of the ordinary. My mind kept battling with itself, but the sight of Zach looking me up and down, brought me back to the present.

When he met my eyes he looked flustered. I sent him a teasing smile. It took him two seconds before his smirk finally crossed his face and he turned back forward. I internally smirked.

Yeah, he's thought about it.

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 _Wednesday Night_

"You have ten minutes to complete the exam."

I looked around the room and I was left with five other people. I felt a new determination, I did not want to be the last one.

I finished my short answer question and got up to turn it in to the professor. Liz helped my study for this biology final, but I still wasn't feeling 100% confident. I handed it to the professor.

"Thank you Cameron."

"Um, professor. When will I be able to know my grade?" She gave a sigh, I'm sure she's been asked that from every student. But then a look of sympathy crossed her face.

"Well Cameron, normally it is posted online by next Tuesday, but if you are still here tomorrow morning, I'll grade it before then."

"Thank you." I bolted up the stairs and out the door. My break had officially started and I wanted to start packing. I ran down the hallway and burst through our door.

"Slow down Flash!" Bex and Grant were cuddling on the couch.

"Can't! My finals are over and I have to pack!" I was running to my room before I heard Bex call, "Someone is already on that."

I froze at my door at the sight of Macey spinning around in a whirlwind of clothes. She was throwing things to the side, and things in a bag. My whole closet was empty and over half of it was on the ground.

"Woah, what happened here?" Macey turned to me and she looked furious.

"Really Cameron. I am packing for you and you have the nerve to criticize the state of your room?" I was going to say something but she was gripping a scarf pretty tight and I was willing to bet that she could use it as a weapon.

"Fair point. But I can pack for myself." She just gave a humorless laugh and started stuffing the huge bag with more clothes.

"Oh Cams, if you packed for yourself, you would be wearing t-shirts and running shorts in Miami." Honestly that's exactly what I would pack.

"I don't see the problem in that."

"Of course you don't. But you're in Miami, you have to dress for the beach. And you're going to be there with a bunch of guys, so let's leave the t-shirts at home."

I guess I could branch out a little. But I was still concerned by the amount of clothes she was putting in that bag.

"Macey, I'm only there for three days. I don't think I need a big suitcase." She groaned and looked at me pointing to the door.

"Okay, I'll only pack you a smaller bag but I need you to leave."

"What? Why?" She just shook her head.

"Go. This is easier to do by myself." I sulked down the hallway to see an amused looking Bex and Grant.

"Did you get kicked out?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Yeah. I'm not apologizing for that." She gave Grant a quick peck on the lips.

"Ew, guys. No PDA remember."

"I thought that rule didn't start until we left." Grant gave her another kiss.

"Ugh. I'm out of here." As I was walking out the door Liz was walking in. She took one glance and Bex and Grant and shook her head.

"Where are you going? Can I come with you?" I looped my arm through hers.

"Of course. It's time you met all the guys anyway." Her face went pale.

"All the guys?" I heard the terror in her voice. Of course she has met Zach and Grant, but she didn't know the others yet.

"Don't worry about it Liz. They won't bite."  
As tiny as Liz was, she could turn into a ton of bricks at the first feeling of fight or flight. When we got closer to the door she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Cammie, I don't think I can do this." She was trying to back away but I kept my arm looped through hers.

"Liz, it's okay. Really, they're all great people. I don't even know who will be there." Her feet started walking forward again slowly so I let go of her arm and opened the door. I already heard laughing and there was a ball flying toward me. I caught it and threw it back to Lucas.

"Hey guys. Mind if I hang out here? Bex and Grant are being all gross." Zach scooted over on the couch leaving space for me.

"Oh, and I brought Liz with me." She looked white as a sheet of paper and was frozen by the doorway. They looked at her and I immediately looked worried for her.

"Liz," I motioned toward the living room. "You want to come in?" She nodded silently and if she weren't wearing jeans, I'm sure we would have seen her legs shaking.

"Where's Nick?" Lucas rolled his eyes.

"His last final was this morning so he drove out to meet Annie for the night. He said he would meet us down there Friday."

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

"We were planning around five to get down there early." My eyes went wide.

"Wait, five in the morning?"

"Well Cammie, if ya'll leave at five in the morning you will get to Miami at approximately 6:30, given food and bathroom breaks." It was the first time Liz spoke and now she had their attention. Lucas and Zach looked at each other.

"Zach, is this Jonas? Because it sounds like Jonas." Her face was now starting to regain color. She'll never tell anyone but she likes impressing people with her mind.

"It's a simple calculation really. If you leave at five and Miami is 13 hours away, and you take proper resting breaks to switch drivers then you would get there at 6:30."

"Alright, this is definitely the girl Jonas." That was the moment that the door opened and Jonas himself walked through the door.

"Jonas, if we leave at five what time will we get to Miami?" Jonas took a second to think.

"Probably around 6:30." Lucas looked back and forth between Liz and Jonas.

"Jonas, I think we found your match." Liz went red and Jonas just looked at her and started tugging at his collar. There was an awkward silence until Liz finally spoke up.

"Hi, I'm Liz. Aren't you a Terry Scholar?" Jonas looked embarrassed.

"Yeah. Wait, that's where I know you. We had that dinner at the beginning of the year." Liz nodded and smiled more brightly.

"How was your semester? I had a little trouble with Organic Chemistry." Well I knew that by a little trouble it meant she got a 95 instead of a 100. But Jonas was talking back and it was kind of sweet to see them bonding over academics.

"Okay, I don't want to interrupt this intellectual bonding, but I have a little problem." At the word problem Jonas and Liz looked like they were ready for a challenge.

"I can't leave until after 8. My bio professor said she would tell me my grade if I waited until then."

"Well we were going to have to take two cars anyway. Maybe one car will have to wait." Liz shook her head.

"Only one other person would have to. Most cars will fit five people. And if Nick isn't with you, then there are seven people left. So Cammie and someone else will have to stay." Jonas looked at her with admiration.

"Well Bex and Grant will want to go together, so either Lucas, Zach or I will have to stay." Lucas shook his head.

"It can't be you. You're the one with the car." Liz was filling this information into her mental list.

"Okay so it's either Zach or Lucas. Cammie has a car, so that's not a problem."

"But Zach has a motorcycle. If he stays with her they can take that and it's saving on gas." Liz smiled at Jonas. Yeah they were bonding already. Zach was already smirking at me.

"Alright, so it's you and me, Gallagher Girl." I suppressed my smile. It probably wouldn't be comfortable, but 13 hours riding on a motorcycle would be pretty nice.

Liz and Jonas were already pulling out papers to set up when the best time for a break would be. Lucas was smiling and texting on his phone, so that left me to talk to Zach.

"Does that mean I get to drive tomorrow?" I bit my lip in anticipation.

"I don't know. Do you think you can handle it?" I rolled my eyes.

"Please, I can handle anything. Can you?" His eyes flickered to my lips a split second.

"I guess, we'll find out."

 **I finally got some Liz and Jonas in there!**

 **caitlynp15: I'm glad that you found this story and like it! Updates are going to be slower now, but I'm not giving up on this story.**

 **Original Gallaghergirl and I need a name: So much denial.**

 **bheartbarnett: I know, the Matthew card always gets the tears flowing.**

 **And lots of other guest reviews: Thank you! Bear with me for the next update, it's starting to get real.**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I'm finally getting hit with the thunderstorms from the hurricane and am stuck inside. So I decided to procrastinate a little more and write another chapter. Two updates in a weekend is like the dream goal, so hopefully I can stick to it. With that in mind, take this as a peace offering for during the week. I have thought about these next few chapters since this story popped in my head, so I can't wait to actually write them. Enjoy your Sunday!**

Chapter 25

"Ah, welcome Cammie. I'm grading your last question right now. Have a seat, it will just be a minute." I didn't want to wait another minute. I wanted to get on the road as soon as possible. I settled into the chair and my leg kept fidgeting. It was the longest minute of my life. I was waiting for my fate and ready to either cry or celebrate. She started adding up points and put a grade at the top and circled it. She held a straight face as she slid the paper across the table. I held my breath as I picked up the paper.

"A 92?"I couldn't believe it but she smiled in return.

"Cameron, you have improved a lot over this semester. I do hope you have a great break."

"Thank you so much professor." I shook her hand harder than I should have and skipped down the hallway. When I made it outside, even the cold weather couldn't get me down.

Zach was already leaning on his motorcycle with a smirk on his face. I was skipping and his smirk turned into a smile.

"So I'm guessing you passed?" I nodded.

"92 on the final!" I did a victory dance around him and he laughed at my awful jig.

"And you said you didn't think you even made a 70." I smirked.

"I like to surprise myself sometimes."

"I think it's time for us to get down to Miami then to celebrate properly."

I was already hopping on the back, ready to go. I had a backpack on my back with everything I needed for the drive down. Zach put the helmet on my head and I already wrapped my arms around him.

"Lets get to some warmer weather. I'm dying to get out of the cold." I felt the vibrations of his laugh.

"This is picnic weather." Just then a chilly breeze swept across the parking lot and he shivered. "On second thought, lets get to that beach."

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It definitely got warmer even though it was the middle of December. So warm that I was glad Macey put a change of clothes in my backpack, warm. When we finally stopped in Georgia to get something to eat I was happy to put on that change of clothes. I looked through my bag and was happy to see that she at least packed a white v-neck and shorts for me and not a skirt or a crop top. My hair was a disaster from the helmet and the rest whipping in the wind. I did my best to comb through it but it was useless.

When I came back from the bathroom Zach already had food for us. My mouth was watering at the sight of the double cheeseburger.

"I love double cheeseburgers." I dug in without hesitation. I finished my meal in two minutes and started walking back and forth. We had already been driving for hours and my legs were sore.

"Alright we still have six hours until we get there. Do you think we can make it without stopping?" Zach shoved the last of his fries in his mouth before nodding.

"Yeah. We'll be pretty sore, but I think we can do it."

"Can I drive?" He looked like he was considering it until we heard the cars honking on the highway.

"I'll teach you how to drive when we're in Miami. I don't think you want to learn in traffic." I lost a little pep but that sounded like a fair compromise.

"Alright, but when we get to Miami I am going to tear up the streets."

He cringed, "Your mom is going to hate me. You got drunk around me, now your off riding motorcycles."

"Whatever. My mom loves you." There was a pause and I wish I could've stayed silent. He turned and he had a smirk and those playful eyes.

"So you talk to your mom about me?" I put my helmet on to try to cover my face.

"I'm going to shut my mouth."

"It's okay Gallagher Girl. You can admit it. I know you love me." I pushed his face forward.

"Just drive Blackthorne Boy."

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I was glad that Zach didn't let me drive once we crossed into Florida. We drove through rain for an hour and the traffic was horrible. I was glad to just be able to hold on and try not to think about how my white v-neck was becoming more and more transparent. I was glad that I was in the back and that I wasn't wearing my blue bra.

We finally pulled up to the house at 9:00. They weren't lying, it really was on the beach. There was a wrap around porch and the backyard was the ocean. Yeah I think I could live here for a few days. The only problem was, I don't think I can walk and my shirt was still slightly damp. Zach was already up and I had to deal with hoping my shirt wasn't as see through as it was before. That quickly became the least of my problems. As I tried to lift my leg to get off the bike, there was a pain at my hip and I knew it was too sore to stretch out and get off the bike.

"Come on Gallagher Girl. We're finally here." I looked at him sheepishly.

"I know. But um… my leg kind of doesn't want to work." He smirked and held his arms out. I put my arm around his neck and he picked me up.

"The things I do for you. You sure this isn't some plan just so you can put your hands on me some more?" I felt myself blushing. The 13 hour ride did have that perk.

"Oh please. You're not as great as you think. Those fries went straight to your stomach." He smirked at me.

"Hey, this is my winter bod. I'm still rock solid and you know it." I squeezed his bicep.

"I don't know. Seems a little flabby to me." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Well if I'm going to have to carry you around for the next few days, it will be back to normal." We got to the door and he set me down. It was painful to stand, but my legs were starting to loosen up. He opened the door and gestured for me to enter.

"I'm going to be walking funny for a while." Zach gave a lighthearted laugh.

"Yeah, I remember my first time." The light in the living room flashed on. It was like a scene from the movies when your parents catch you breaking, but this time Bex and Grant were the parents. And we had done nothing wrong.

"Sounds like you had an interesting drive." I was still shuffling across the room and Bex looked amused.

"Geeze Zach. What did you do to her?" I paused and we both looked at them questioningly. Bex put on the mask of a disappointed mother.

"Cam, you have sex hair and can barely walk. Do we need to separate you two?" The blood rushed to my cheek and Zach ran a hand through his hair.

"Bex! This is the result of a 13 hour motorcycle drive. It's helmet hair." She looked disappointed.

"Damn. I thought you were going to have an interesting story to tell when you got here." Zach shrugged.

"Well we did have to drive through the rain for almost an hour." Bex shook her head.

"I liked my story better." Grant slung his arm around her for her to cuddle into. Their disappointed parents cover was blown. That role was probably going to be passed on to Jonas.

"Your bags are in the last room to the left." I shared a look with Zach but he looked just as confused.

"Both of our bags?" Bex had a smile that would rival the Cheshire cat's.

"Well we can be naïve and I could room with you Cam, but we both know that that isn't how it's going to be. We just eliminated the middle man." Zach shrugged and gave me a look that said they were right.

"Is your room next to ours?"

"Nope, were on the other side of the house." I gave a sigh of relief. I didn't want to be next to the lovebirds and I'm sure everyone else felt the same.

"Fine. But I get this comfy blanket." I snatched the blanket off the couch from her. She looked like she wanted to fight for it but Grant gave her a look and she melted into his side again. She put her mask on for one more quip.

"Okay. Now behave you two." Zach gave a half laugh.

"I think we should be telling you that."

We made our way down the hallway to the last room. It was pretty big, but there was only one bed. I dove face first into it and it felt like a marshmallow.

"I'll sleep on the floor." Zach was already throwing pillows onto the floor on one side of the bed. I scooted over and saw all the room on the other side.

"You don't have to. There's room up here." Did I just invite him to bed with me?

"Really Gallagher Girl. It's fine. The beds at Blackthorne were worse, so I'm used to it." I propped myself up on an elbow and stared at him in concern. He caught me and smiled while looking in my eyes.

"Really. It's fine."

It still didn't seem right that I had the whole Queen size bed to myself. There was plenty of room and we shared a couch before. Sleeping on the floor didn't seem to bother him though.

"Why are you so casual about this?" He shrugged and I saw a smile tugging at his lips.

"You want the truth?"

"Yes." It turned into a full blown smile.

"Honestly I'm a little relieved. I've lived with Grant for about seven years and when he gets a girlfriend, he can be insufferable." I thought of how many nights Bex wanted to stay up talking about Grant. I didn't mind but there were some nights when I just wanted to go to sleep.

"Yeah. That is a bit of a perk." He put his elbows on the edge of the bed and leaned forward.

"Besides, I get to share a room with my bestfriend for a few days. That doesn't seem too terrible." My mouth gaped open.

"I'm your bestfriend?" He smirked at me.

"Lately yeah. I have more fun hanging out with you than anyone else." My brain turned to a warm pile of mush and my heart was beating quicker.

"Who would have thought we would be friends? I hated you for a while." He gave a half laugh.

"Yeah I know. It's all part of the charm."

It already felt too late and I really needed to get ready for bed.

"Alright, I'm going to shower. I really need to get a handle on this hair situation."

"Really? I think it looks pretty good on you." I shook my hair around to make it messier.

"This looks good on me?" He smirked.

"Well now it really looks like sex hair." I smoothed my hair out to put it back into some type of order.

"It does not." He pushed some of my hair back from my face.

"Maybe not, but it doesn't look horrible." I'd never seen his eyes so dark as they were then. There was something hanging in the air between us with his hand still in my hair. Let me tell you, it is almost impossible to think about anything other than kissing when the guy you like is looking at you like that with his hand in your hair. It was practically impossible, but just as his hand trailed down my neck, he pulled it back like he felt a spark.

"Do you want to shower first?" I was still in a daze.

"Um.. yeah sure." I stayed there though so he cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Hey Gallagher Girl." My eyes snapped back to his. "Shower's that way." He pointed to the bathroom and my legs went on autopilot and lead me to the bathroom. I turned the shower on and my hands worked independently from my mind. If my mind had control, it would have marched back out that door and finished what it wanted to do. Maybe it's a good thing my body had more control right now. Three days left.


	26. Chapter 26

**Holy cow guys, 26 chapters! Since i have a three day weekend, I'm hoping to get another update by Monday, or at least the majority of the next chapter done by then. Thank you for your patiences!**

Chapter 26

"Good morning Sushine." Bex was sipping what looked like hot tea from the island while Grant was flipping pancakes on the griddle.

I grunted in response as I searched for a coffee mug. I was silent as I poured my coffee and added a little creamer to it. Bex just eyed me over her cup as I took a long gulp.

"Did you sleep well?"

Well it wasn't horrible, but I definitely didn't sleep a lot. I think it was a little after 2:30 when I fell asleep during another episode. We set up my laptop to watch Netflix and when I fell asleep we were still leaning on the same pillow. When I woke up he was down on the floor with the blanket I stole from Bex. I snuck out of the room as quietly as possible trying not to wake him.

"I didn't sleep much." She cocked her eyebrow and hid her smile with her mug. It was much too early for this type of talk.

"Ugh. Don't even go there." She put a hand to her chest.

"What? Where? I wasn't going anywhere, was I Grant?" He looked over his shoulder and they shared a smile. He glanced at me and I saw the smirk grow on his face.

"Seriously Cammie, you can at least comb through your hair if you were trying to hide those dirty deeds. Bex at least does that." He winked at her and I gagged. Bex blushed and he kissed her on the cheek.

"Guys stop. It's too early for this. And there were no dirty deeds!"

"Who's doing dirty deeds?" Lucas's voice was groggy but his eyes were waking up. I glared at Grant and Bex.

"No one." He grabbed his coffee and sat down at the bar stool.

"Good. Let's keep it that way." He took a sip and it was like instantaneous change. He went from being half asleep to this flirtatious monster. He looked at me and winked.

"Unless you want to change that." I threw a grape at him.

"You wish." He shook his head and went back to his coffee. I'm guessing that pickup line took whatever energy he had.

"What is our plan today?" I for one didn't want to do much. I might even try to squeeze in a nap.

"Well, David doesn't have a game until 4 today. We still have 8 hours until that happens." I looked out the glass door and the ocean was calling my name.

"Why don't we hang out on the beach for a while. I could work on my tan."

Bex perked up and was already jumping down from the counter.

"Yes! These beaches are beautiful. Much better than what we have in England."

She was practically bounding down the hallway.

"Hurry up Cammie. The waves are waiting!"

I shared a weary glance with Lucas. He didn't look like he wanted to jump in the waves anytime soon. I took another gulp of coffee. Maybe it was that shot of caffeine finally kicking in, or the promise of some Vitamin D, but I felt myself ready to bound down the beach. I grabbed a handful of grapes and headed back to my room. I opened the door quietly and saw Zach was still asleep. I also saw that somehow messy hair made him look even sexier, but that's besides the point.

I tiptoed over to my suitcase and dug for a swimsuit. My jaw dropped when I saw the clothes that Macey actually packed me. Sure it was fashionable, but definitely not stuff I would have packed for myself. I was grateful to see one Georgetown tshirt but I knew that would be for the games. I dug to find a itsy bitsy black bandeau and a tribal print bottoms. I crossed my fingers and hoped that it wasn't as bad as it looked.

I was wrong. It was every bit as revealing as I thought it would be. I marched over to get my phone and angrily dialed Macey's number. I was already pacing when she answered.

"Cam, what are you doing up so early?"

"Oh I don't know, getting ready to flash some people in that excuse of a swimsuit you packed me." There was silence on the other line.

"Macey! This is not funny!" I heard a stifled giggle.

"So you're wearing it?"

"Yes. I thought I would try it on."

"Ooh. Send me a picture! I bet it looks great on you." I was pacing again and looking for something to throw, but that wouldn't do any good. Macey wasn't there to be on the receiving end of it.

"Macey! I thought you were going to pack me reasonable clothes."

"They are reasonable. You're at the beach, so it's beach clothes." I rifled through the suitcase again starting to examine each piece. There were a lot of crop tops and flowing tank tops.

"Look Cams, just give it a chance. You might like it. Besides I bet you look like a total babe in it."

"I do not look like a total babe in this!" I threw my hands up in exasperation.

"I don't know. You do look like a babe in it." The voice made me jump. Zach was sitting up now with a smirk on his face and sleep in his eyes. I was already looking for something to cover up but that only resulted in grabbing the sheer tank top which covered very little.

"Macey. I'm going to have to call you back."

"Okay. But you'll thank me later." I could hear the smirk in her tone.

"I hate you."

"Love you too Cams." I groaned and threw my phone on the bed.

"You let Macey pack for you?"

"Yeah. Big mistake." He just smirked and looked me over again.

"Oh come on. It can't be too bad." I gave him a pointed glare and just motioned to the sheer top.

"Does this look like something I would wear? There's not even an undershirt for it!" He bit back a smile.

"I have an extra tshirt you can wear to cover up. Not that you need it." He froze, caught off guard at what he said. Note to self, morning Zach doesn't have a filter. I bit my lit and took my chance to embarrass him.

"And why wouldn't I need it?" He actually looked flustered.

"I'm just saying, if you look that good, you don't have to cover up."

I thought I was trying to embarrass him but it just lead to me blushing.

"So are you actually going to the beach, or are you just planning on modeling that swimsuit for me all day?"

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"Hey, Cam?" I didn't want to open my eyes. I was content soaking up the sun and pretending to be asleep. With my sunglasses on, I could have been asleep, but Bex knew me better than that. I felt a finger jabbing me in the side.

"Cammie." I rolled over away from her reach. That action was only returned with a spray of sand landing on my back.

"Cammie!" I groaned in frustration and brushed the sand off my side, making sure there wasn't any on my face.

"Yes, Rebecca?" She glared at me then motioned for me to come closer. She was laying on her stomach facing the waves. I had a feeling she was having a nice time watching Grant splashing around. I leaned back on my elbows beside her.

"Cam, I have to ask you something."

"Okay, shoot." She was silent for a second looking out at the waves.

"Well, I was just wondering, and I know I sound insane, but I need your honest opinion." She was rambling, which was never a good sign. She was always direct to the point when she wanted something. I lowered my sunglasses a little to glance at her. She looked a little worried.

"You're worrying me Bex." She cracked a little smile.

"Okay, so would you think I was insane if I said I wanted to live with Grant at the end of next semester." If I were Liz, I would have been squealing with excitement, but I knew why Bex sounded nervous now. She knew that I was usually the most pessimistic about relationships and happily ever after. But it went even further than that. I was her roommate, and once you get a good one, you don't let them go. So I sat there in silence trying to think of what I could say. I know I should be the supportive friend right now, but there's a reason I'm the first person to hear about it.

"Don't you think it's a little early to think about living together?"

"That's what I'm worried about. I'm not making any commitments yet, but he brought it up last night and I started thinking about it. I need a voice of reason though. So what do you honestly think?" I had seen how happy they were together. Even this morning, just making breakfast, they seemed so natural together. It really was a perfect match. He calmed her down and gave her a more carefree attitude, and from what I've heard, she has made him more connected with his family.

"It's ultimately up to you. I would wait until it gets closer, but you're not crazy." I could see the hope brimming in her eyes.

"Bex, you and Grant are really good together. Sure a little nauseating at times, but it's cute." She let out a short laugh.

"You would be the same way when you get in a relationship."

True, I had only been in one relationship, but we weren't so touchy feely all the time. Sure we had our month of couldn't keep our hands off each other, but after that it was pretty dull. Maybe that's the difference between true love and like.

"If I ever get in a relationship, I'll make sure not to be like that in front of people." She rolled her eyes at me.

"Sure. I bet you and Zach would be all over each other." My elbow slipped out from under me and I fell into the sand. I wished my jaw wasn't dropped then because I got a mouth full of sand. Bex tried to stifle her laughter as I spit into the sand behind us.

"Oh, I'm sorry Cam. Did I make you uncomfortable?" I glared at her and brushed the rest of the sand from my face.

"There isn't a me and Zach." Her smile turned into a devilish smirk.

"That argument is just like your sunscreen, wearing thin." I glared at her and reapplied some sunscreen. "He hasn't taken his eyes off of you for more than a few minutes." Well I had already known that because, if I'm being honest, I had been staring at Zach a lot too. Thank god for sunglasses. She got a knowing smile on her face.

"And something tells me you haven't taken your eyes off him."

My silence was answer enough for her.

"Admit it Flash. You think he looks pretty hot right now." At that moment he was body surfing a wave and gave me a perfect view of his tones arms and abs.

"I never said he wasn't."

"You think he's hot. He thinks you're hot. So remind me again why you aren't together?" I felt the annoyance rising in me. I was enjoying a perfectly nice day on the beach until then.

"It's just more complicated than that."

"Is it because you don't get along? Oh, wait, you're practically best friends."

"And that's why we're not together. Well that and other reasons." She arched her eyebrow at me.

"Mind sharing those other reasons?" I groaned in frustration. Why was this question so difficult? I have tried explained it about a hundred times and each time it doesn't make sense.

"Look, we're good as friends. And if something were to happen it might change things between us. And then if it didn't work I would lose my closest friends I have. And…" She gave me that knowing look again and as I trailed off.

"And what? And you're both too chicken to do anything?" That was part of it too. Sure, I had plenty of valid reasons not to do anything and I'm sure he thought so too, but I wasn't going to be the person to test that.

"They're perfectly valid reasons."

"And have you shared these reasons with him? Or did you just decide that he thought this too?" I waved her question away.  
"It doesn't matter. I'm sure he knows this too. Besides, if he really wanted to do something wouldn't he talk to Grant about it? You would know more about what he's thinking than I do." She slumped back down toward the sand. I had a feeling she has tried prying any information she could from Grant, but he didn't have any. We sat in silence for a few minutes and I could tell Bex was sulking that she didn't have to perfect argument. The boys were walking their way toward the shore and I saw Bex smile.

"Well you can always enjoy the company, whether or not he's supposed to be a friend."

Looking at the three guys, I knew this is what some girls could only dream of. Three guys, all pretty attractive, wearing swimsuits.

"Are you ladies ever going to get in the water?" Bex's nose scrunched up and she shook her head.

"No way. This hair doesn't do well in sea water." Grant gave an elfish smile and leaned down to her level before shaking the water out of his hair onto her. She squealed and tried shielding her hair from the water.

"Grant!" She just received laughter in response. She looked pretty pissed but slowly her frown started to fade.

"Seriously, are you guys getting in the water?" It did look really cool and refreshing.

"Yeah, maybe in a little bit." Zach smirked a little.

"Why in a little?" I saw him glance in Lucas's direction and he shared a smirk.

"Yeah Camster, why not right now?" They inched closer to me and I scurried backwards in the sand.

"No. No. No. You guys, I am not playing like that."

"Good, because we're pretty serious." In a flash I was up on my feet and running down the beach. Let me tell you, running in sand is a lot harder than on concrete. First of all, you have no traction, which can be very bad when you are trying to juke and jive away from two boys. I was thankful to see they were struggling too though. I spun out of the way of Lucas and looked back just in time to see Lucas faceplant into the sand. I started laughing, but it was cut short when there was an arm around my middle hoisting me off the ground. The world went upside down and I couldn't laugh anymore when I was thrown over Zach's shoulder.

"Zach!" I tried squirming, but he was stronger and was now used to my squirming.

"Come on Gallagher Girl. The water feels great." I heard the waves crashing and twisted to see over Zach's shoulder. We were just steps away from the water now. No matter how warm outside it was, it was still December. The water was going to be colder than it looked.

The wave crashed on the shore that we were approaching and a little splashed up and got my foot. I jumped. It was definitely colder than it looked.

"Okay, okay. I'll get in. Just put me down right here." He kept walking.

"What would be the fun in that?" He was knee deep now and the waves were splashing higher with every step. I had to embrace my fate. He was waist deep now and my foot was dangling in the water. His grip tightened around my waist but I was prepared for what was about to happen. I clung onto him for dear life.

"Come on Gallagher Girl. It's just a little water."

"It's so cold! I'll get in on my own time." I felt so defiant. I should have known not to say those words when you don't have an advantage. Before I knew it the sea was coming closer as Zach dove into the wave with me still on him. The cold water enveloped me and it was like a shock to my system.

When I came up for air my hair was in my face and I was shivering. I heard laughing and I sent a splash of water toward the voice.

"That was not funny Zachary Tyler Goode." I glared at him but he just looked amused.

"Oh, we're on full names now are we Cameron Ann Morgan?" I splashed more water in his direction but he just splashed back. I used both hands to send a bigger wave.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I crossed my arms defiant. "Okay, just remember you started it." He stalked toward me and I backed into the waves. I saw his hands rear back preparing water just as a wave was coming I jumped into it and rode it to safety. I looked back and he came up from tumbling in the wave. I threw my head back laughing and he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I mocked his words and he dove toward me. He narrowly missed me as I dove backwards. Every time he missed I would splash more water at him.

"Come on Blackthorne Boy. You're not even trying." I taunted him at every miss and he looked more and more determined. And then my cockiness got me. I didn't realize how far back we had wandered. I didn't know I was at the edge of a sandbar and my last dive backwards knocked the ground out from under my feet. I started flailing from the surprise. Before I could even recover and start kicking, there were arms hooking around my waist and kicking back toward the surface.

After I took a breath of fresh air the first thing I saw was Zach's worried eyes.

"Cammie, are you okay?" I was perfectly fine. I knew how to swim, I was just caught off guard.

"I'm fine Zach. I just didn't know there was a sandbar there." He was holding me close and still wasn't convinced.

"You're shivering." I felt myself laughing.

"I told you the water was cold." He pulled me even closer so I was pressed up against him. How was he not cold?

"Why don't we get out?" I didn't want to get out. Now that I was in, I was having a fun time.

"I don't want to." He smirked down at me.

"We still have four hours before David's game. Did you forget what I promised?"

In a flash I pushed away from him and started running toward the beach. He started chuckling behind me.

"Oh and Gallagher Girl." I paused and turned back toward him. A big splash of water hit me in the face and I was sputtering as he ran by.

"I win."


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Another update for your holiday weekend! This is probably one of my favorites that I've written and (spoiler alert) it ends with some happy squealing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!**

Chapter 27

"Alright, now just ease on the gas…" I didn't ease on it. The bike lurched forward and Zach squeezed the brakes before it could get away. I know I should be nervous but I couldn't help but smile. I was free and the sun was shining on the boardwalk. And I was learning to drive a motorcycle with a really cute guy trying to teach me. Yeah, it was pretty smile worthy.

I looked back at Zach who was trying to fight off a grin and look serious, but I could see through it.

"Okay, a little slower this time."

I eased on the gas and the bike started rolling forward slowly.

"That's it! Give it a little bit more." He was walking faster beside me to keep up. But I was on a rush now. I gave it more and started to run wild with it. Well within reason, we were on a boardwalk after all.

"Cammie! Wait up!" But I kept going and laughing manically. He was sprinting now to keep up.

"Gallagher Girl! Watch out!" I squeezed the brakes right before I could run into a trashcan in front of a crowd of people. It tapped the trashcan and it teetered before falling over. I cringed and Zach was already scooping up trash. The crowd of people turned and one looked completely pissed off.

"Watch where you're going asshole." The guy was short and stocky but he acted like he was 6'5". And that voice made me freeze.

"Sorry. This is her first time. No harm done, right man." The short guy looked over Zach's shoulder to me and an evil smile spread across his face. I knew this day would come. I just didn't think I would ever see him again, especially in Miami.

"Well keep your bitch under control." Zach's hands balled into a fist and I knew I had to step in, even if I did want him to pound on Dillon.

"What did you just say?" He was stalking forward but Dillon didn't look scared.

"I'll save you some time buddy, Cameron Morgan is a bitch that will just tease you. She's not worth the time." Zach was already moving toward Dillon.

"Zach stop!" I pulled on his arm to stop him but he didn't break eye contact from Dillon.

"Good to see you Cameron." I scoffed.

"I wish I could say the same, Dillon." He smirked.

"I can see that Josh upgraded. You never deserved him." I wanted to scratch his eyes out, but I knew the moment I let go and did it, Zach would too. As much as I hated Dillon, he wasn't worth the time.

"Well why don't you go run off and tell him that. Don't waste any more time on me." He grinned and turned towards his friends.

"Wow, the bitch actually has some bright ideas. Let's go boys, she's not worth it." They were all walking away but he looked back at Zach once more.

"Remember what I said. Don't waste you're time on her."

It took all my restraint to keep Zach back and from running after him myself. When Dillon was out of sight I let my hand release Zach's arm. Luckily, he didn't try to run after him, he just stayed planted in the same spot.

"Come on. We should probably head back to the house soon anyway."

He was still standing there glaring in the direction Dillon disappeared in. I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Zach." He looked down at me and his face softened.

"Come on. We should probably head back to get ready."

"Who was that guy?" His voice was dark and dangerous.

"That was Josh's best friend. He never really liked me." He glared in Dillon's direction again.

"Yeah. I noticed."

"It's a long story." He shook his head.

"He doesn't even have a reason to treat you like that. I should've hit him." Even with everything that happened, I smiled a little.

"I should've hit him." He gave out a half laugh.

"You've hit a stranger for less."

"Hey! You don't get to make fun of me for that anymore. You were about to do the same thing." He shrugged.

"Yeah, but I'm a guy. We do that type of thing all the time." I gave him a knowing look.

"You just hit guys all the time?"

"Well I would if they talked like that. No one talks about my best friend like that."

"So you would've punched someone for talking about Grant too?"

"Nah. He probably deserved it or he's already punching them. You, my Gallagher Girl, did not deserve that so my fist should still be on his face." I had to smirk.

"Alright, Blackthorne Boy, time to cool it. We have to head back so we can make sure the rest of them are ready to go." He still seemed reluctant to move so I pulled on his hand again.

"Fine. Do you mind if I drive?"

"Why? I think I did just fine." He motioned to the trashcan with a dent in the side.

"I think that trashcan disagrees."

I hopped on behind him and I was ready to go. I leaned forward towards his ear.

"Can I drive tomorrow?"

"Hmmm. We'll see if there are any unsuspecting trashcans that might be on the way. If there aren't then, you can drive tomorrow."

"That trashcan was asking to be knocked over."

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David had won both of his games and we were going out to celebrate. Nick and Lucas found a bar about a mile from the house that had loud music and a lot of dancing people. Half of them were on the lighted patio grinding and salsaing onto the beach. Nick and David lead the charge into the bar, while Bex and Grant got lost in the dancing bodies.

"Gentleman, and Cammie," Nick quickly added, "We have three nights in Miami. Let's live it up. Drink it up, dance it up, and for my single guys, flirt with some pretty girls."

"We can start right now." Lucas slid next to me. "Hi. How's it going?" I pushed his back.

"Give it up." He shrugged and looked into the bar. There was loud music and it was hazy.

"Let's do this!" Lucas, David and Zach inched their way inside, but I stopped when I saw Jonas wasn't following.

"Jonas? You coming?" He looked up from his phone.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I think I'll stick back for a little while. They're under control."

"You trust them?" He smiled a little.

"Of course. Nick is happier than ever with Annie so he's not going out of control. If you haven't noticed, Lucas is tamer than usual. And I never have to worry about David. So the question is, can you and Zach behave yourselves?" I smirked a little.

"Have a good night, Jonas. Keep an eye on Bex and Grant over there." He had a smile on his face.

"I didn't hear an agreement to behave yourself." I walked away and waved at him over my shoulder.

"Good night, Jonas."

I made my way inside and looked through the hazy room for the guys. David was sipping on a beer and Nick and Lucas just took a shot. I hoped Jonas was right and that they wouldn't be too crazy. Then I saw Zach already looking at me from the bar, and I wondered how much Jonas actually knew.

"Camster! Come on and party with us." There was a shot on the bar and it was calling my name. I threw it back and Nick and Lucas patted me on the back. It burned and I knew it was going to hit me hard. They handed me a beer to sip on.

"Alright Cammie, I know I told you to live it up, but let's not get into any fights tonight."  
"That's not going to happen. This will be my first and only beer tonight." Lucas started clapping.

"What an inspiration. When I grow up, I want to be just like Cameron Morgan."

We took our drinks to an open table, well table was one way of putting it. It was more like a really tall bar stool without chairs around it. I guess they predicted every one would be standing up dancing anyway that there really wasn't a point in chairs.

Going out in Miami was different than Gerogetown. Here there were loads of people and plenty of girls. That cut down on the lot of guys that would try to hit on me. So far I had only seen a few glances and a few times I've looked up to see some of my guys glaring. They probably thought it wasn't worth the risk, I had a bunch of guys guarding me. Besides there were loads of girls who wore very low cut tops and short shorts. I thought my shorts were short, but I looked like I was ready for church compared to them.

What surprised me even more was Lucas didn't even glance at any of them. Normally he would do a few double takes and start his approach, but not tonight. He never gave any girl a second glance and goofed off with Nick and David all night. It was getting bizarre to say the least, but the whole world stopped when he actually pulled out his phone and started texting in the bar. Yeah, something was definitely going on. I leaned over his shoulder to try to get a peak at his phone.

"Who are you texting?" He jumped and put his phone away quickly.

"No one. My mom." I rolled my eyes at him.

"You're texting your mom right now? At 10:30?" He tried to force a smile.

"Yes Camster. I'm sorry I'm a bit of a momma's boy. She worries." I bit my tongue and made sure not to push it. He clearly wasn't ready to share yet and I had to respect that.  
"Well I'm going to go check out the outside. We're in Miami, we should be on the beach not inside!" I grabbed my bottle from the table and nodded toward the screen door. "Who's with me?"

"We still have a pitcher to finish. We'll meet you out after that." Nick filled his empty glass again and handed the pitcher to David. David shook his head.

"Nope, I'm done drinking tonight. I'll go outside." I looked at Zach who just smirked at me.

"I'll be your back up just in case Cam gets hot headed."

They were at my back as I weaved through the crowd. When we finally made it outside I saw Jonas talking on the phone a little distance from the party and he was laughing. I'd have to ask him about it later.

"David! Nice playing today!" A stocky guy came up and clapped David on the back.

"Yeah, not so bad yourself. Except in those last three minutes. You looked like deer on ice out there." The guys face went blank and he forced a smile.

"It was my cleats."

"Oh yeah? Well let's see how fast you really are. Let's go." They were already getting pumped up. Ugh. Too much male bravado between them. I was as competitive as the next person, but they just took it to another level.

"To the pier and back?" The guy nodded then he grimaced.

"Just running though. No foul play." David smiled.

"You're on." They took off running, leaving me with Zach under the lights and stars with music blaring. There were couples dancing a few feet away and Zach gestured towards them.

"Want to dance?" The couples were grinding to the rhythm and I had never been one that could carry a beat.

"I don't know. I'm not very good." He smirked at me and grabbed my hand.

"You don't have to be good. You just have to pick the right partner." He winked and pulled me into the outer ring of the bodies. He put my arms around his neck and his slid down to my waist. We started swaying to the slow beat and I watched the other couples around us. The girls looked so confident as they swayed against their partners and looked into their eyes. It was like they were in their own secret world and no one else mattered. It was endearing and I wondered how you get to that level with someone. But as Zach's hands tightened around my hips, I knew exactly what kind of world they had.  
I looked up at him and he was already staring at me. He had a genuine smile on his face as I started to let loose. Just when I was feeling confident, the beat changed. It was faster and the couples all transitioned seamlessly pulling themselves closer together and moving as one.

Zach arched his eyebrow at me. "You think you can handle this?"

Girls were spinning in and out, one was tossed into the air, but it looked fun. I nodded my head eagerly and he lightly took one of my hands and threaded our fingers together. His other hand adjusted to have a higher frame and then he started stepping slowly.

"Just follow my lead. This foot goes forward, your foot goes backward, forward together." We were pressed a lot closer together. I think I liked this dance.

I was starting to get the hang of it while girls went spinning by me.

"Zach, how do you know how to dance like this?" He looked embarrassed.

"My mom used to tell me stories about how when she was younger she went to Buenos Aries for a year. She loved dancing and on her good year she taught me."

My heart melted a little as I thought of little Zach dancing around with his mom, happy.

"You ready to spin?" Before I could respond he took ahold of my hand tighter and started twirling me around. He brought me back to him and I felt a little more unsteady with the change in footwork. I was laughing as he supported me so I didn't topple over. I think that shot was starting to kick in too. I felt warm and fuzzy and Zach pulled me closer to start the routine again.

"I'm glad she taught you." He arched an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Why is that?" He spun me again and I was a little more stable this time.

"It's pretty sexy." He smirked at me.

"Are you saying that I'm sexy?" He dipped me and my heart skipped a beat with the way he was looking at me. Before I could answer someone bumped into his shoulder and he looked up. His face dropped and fear and anger replaced his smirk.

"Zach?" He lifted me back up and looked into my eyes.

"Gallagher Girl, do you still need cover for when you run into your ex?"

"Um I guess-" I didn't finish, he pulled me into him and his face dropped next to mine. His hand was in my hair and the other rested at my waist. His lips were hovering right over my neck. He let out a shuddered breath that sent sparks through my whole body and then his lips were on my neck.

It was light at first but I gripped his tshirt tighter and I felt more passion in his kiss. I almost forgot why he was doing this until I heard DeeDee's giggle and saw her blonde hair pass by me. When he heard the giggle, Zach froze and lightened up. His grip loosened and his hand slowly untangled from my hair.

"Are we clear?" He sounded breathless and I temporarily forgot how to speak.

"Umm… yeah I think so." He pulled back and his eyes were dark and he had a blush creeping up his cheeks. I just stood there still holding his tshirt with my jaw slack.

"Cammie, I thought that was you!" DeeDee and Josh were standing just a few feet behind us. She was wrapped in his arms but he looked like a statue. And not a happy one. She got out of his embrace to hug me. I awkwardly patted her on the back. Why does this keep happening?

"Zach right?" He smirked.

"Yeah, DeeDee and Jimmy right?" Josh's eyes flashed in rage.

"It's Josh." Zach just laughed it off.

"Oh, my mistake." I had a feeling it wasn't a mistake.

"What are you guys doing down here?" DeeDee had that all-american girl smile that I despised. She looked so innocent, but I knew better.

"We're here for one of our friend's tournaments."

"Oh my gosh! We're here for Dillon's!" Zach's jaw tightened next to me and I felt the tension in his arm. We already knew Dillon was here. We just didn't know they were too. It made sense really. We went to a lot of games together and they would continue to support Dillon.

"Oh yeah. I saw him briefly earlier."

"Oh." DeeDee shared an awkward glance with Josh and gave me a sympathetic smile.

"How long are you staying? We should grab lunch together or something!" Was she just oblivious to the vibes in the room? Josh clearly didn't want to be anywhere near me, I was ready to strangle some people just at the sound of Dillon's name and Zach, well I had a feeling he wouldn't be very hospitable for lunch.

"That sounds great, but we already have plans for tomorrow." Zach arched his eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, we're going to the rest of the games."

"And we're going to celebrate someone's birthday tomorrow." I smiled and nudged him. He wrapped an arm around me and smirked.

"Yeah. I can't wait for that." He winked and I looked and saw DeeDee swooning. Josh looked around awkwardly.

"Well, maybe when we get back from Christmas break."

"Yeah. Maybe then. "Zach gave her a grin to try to sell it. She smiled and grabbed Josh's hand.

"Sounds great! I'll let you get back to enjoying yourselves. Maybe we'll see you at the game."

"Sounds like fun." Even I thought I sounded fake, but she didn't hear it. She just pulled Josh away from us and started giggling again. We stood there, shell shocked.

"So she seems nice." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah. Looks can be deceiving." He put my arms around his neck again and we started dancing to the slower song.

"Jimmy seemed pretty pissed. Did you break up with him, or something?" I bit my lip thinking about how to answer that.

"Technically yes, but he fully agreed. And then two weeks later her was dating the bubbly blonde." He winced and his eyes softened.

"I'm sorry." I scoffed.

"It was just ridiculous. The whole time we were dating he would avoid talking about DeeDee but said I should be her friend. She still thinks we're friends! We had a few sleepovers and she helped plan my birthday party and she would go to every football game with me. I should've known she was trouble. She always wore his jersey number and only cheered for him." He pulled me a little closer and rested his forehead on mine.

"If it helps, he's really jealous." Did it help? Did I want to make him jealous? I smiled a little. His eyes turned timid.

"He'd probably dump her for you in a second if you let him." Was he jealous? And a little sad?

"Well, I'm not going to ask him. They we're happy together. I wouldn't want to ruin that. Besides, I've moved on."

I saw a faint smile tug at his lips. I glanced at them briefly and my neck tingled from where they were. We should probably talk about that.

The music picked up again and I already trailed my hand down his chest so he could grab it. Maybe talking could wait.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Alright, I don't know if I'll be able to post for about a week or so. So I'm giving you a hella long chapter and it's action from beginning to end. I won't say anything else except, enjoy and I can't wait to see your reviews!**

Chapter 28

It was six in the morning and I was tiptoeing out of the room. I looked at the contents of the pantry and decided I had exactly what I needed. I just hoped I didn't have my mother's cooking skills.

I got some bowls and a cookie sheet out and started off with the sugar. So far so good, I could measure right. But then came the eggs. I cracked the fist one perfectly, but then I got over confident. The second one completely smashed on the side of the bowl and I cursed under my breath, digging out the shell from the batter.

"Okay, lets do this again." I gingerly picked up the egg and tapped it on the side of the bowl. Nothing. Another tap. Nothing. Another. Nothing.

I was starting to get frustrated and I tapped it harder than before. It must have hit the bowl just right because the whole bowl flew off the counter crashing on the floor, sending the sugar mixture all over. The egg in question lay broken on the floor.

"Damn you eggs!" I looked around for paper towels.

"Woah what happened in here?" I turned around to glare at the voice and saw a bewildered Grant looking at my mess.

"Eggs. Eggs are what happened." He chuckled and grabbed paper towels from a cabinet and handed them to me.

"What exactly are you trying to make at six in the morning?" Yeah, it did look a little strange, but I had a reason.

"Cookies." He chuckled next to me.

"Bex said you had a sweet tooth, but cookies at six in the morning?"

"They're for Zach. For his birthday." He arched his eyebrows at me.

"What? Did you forget his birthday?"

"No I remembered, I'm just surprised that you did. And that you're doing something for him." I picked up the bowl and went for a broom to sweep up the sugar.

"Why are you doing this?" I just shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know. It's his birthday and he deserves a good one." He was studying me and it was making me nervous.

"He's lucky to have you." I smiled a little.

"What are friends for, right?" His face went blank. He looked a lot more grown up and more terrifying.

"Cammie, I don't think I've seen him this happy in a long time." I slowed my sweeping trying to comprehend what he was saying.

"He would probably kill me for saying this, but he did it for me once. Zach likes you. More than he lets on and I think you do too." I stopped sweeping now to look at him.

"Grant, it's not like that." He held a hand up to stop me.

"Whatever you want to say, save your breath. I don't care if you date, but make sure you're ready for it. Like I said, he's lucky to have you and I don't want that to change." Finally someone understood what I had been trying to say for so long. But it sounded so bitter from him. And also a lot deeper. I knew the stakes were high.

I finished sweeping and started with a fresh bowl. I got the sugar poured in and Grant was next to me with the eggs.

"Here, let me. I've had some practice." He cracked the eggs perfectly, one handed. I smiled at him appreciatively.

"Thank you." He started stirring and gave me a knowing look.

"Eggs are easy. You have the hard part."

Yeah, and it had nothing to do with cookies.

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"Quiet guys, I think he's coming." We were all hiding in the kitchen in our pajamas. Jonas crawled on top of the fridge, Nick was underneath the table and Grant was holding hands with Bex behind the island. They were giggling and I covered her mouth with my hand.

"Shhh!" The footsteps came closer and I looked at Bex. She smiled and nodded. I tried to make eye contact with as many people as I could and counted down.

"Surprise!" We all jumped out from our spot. He didn't even flinch, but he was smiling.

"Wow. Thanks guys." He looked over our breakfast that we prepared. Grant whipped up a lot of pancakes and I cut up some fruit. It looked pretty nice.

"Alright can we eat now? I'm starving." Zach nodded and Jonas jumped off the fridge and grabbed a plate. Everyone was stabbing at the pancake stack and fighting over syrup.

"This looks great. Gallagher Girl, were you baking?" I felt myself blush.

"A little. With some help from Grant." He smiled and stepped toward me.

"Thank you. You got a little flour on you still." His thumb was on my cheek wiping away the flour.

"Happy birthday, Zach." I closed the distance and gave him a hug.

"Are those cookies?" One of his arms went to reach for my fresh cookies.

"Yep. My specialty." I grinned as he took a bite. He groaned and hugged me again.

"Dear god, Cam. These are amazing." I smirked and looked up at him.

"I told you I could make badass cookies." He smirked at me and took another bite.

"Definitely wifey material." I felt myself blush again and turned to fix my plate.

"We have to hurry and eat. David said he has to leave in twenty minutes." He speared an apple slice and threw a pancake on his plate.  
"Alright, nineteen minutes to eat then. Unless you wanted to change." He looked amused at the thought of my wearing his tshirt to the tournament.

"I'm not going to wear this out." He pouted a little.

"Alright, I just think you might feel more comfortable in that shirt than whatever Macey packed for you."

That was true, but I would have to take my chances. As great as this shirt was, I would never hear the end of it from Bex if I wore it out in public.

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David was warming up for his last game. So far they had won every one, but I could tell he was nervous about this one.

"Do you think they can do it?" Jonas looked at the other team skeptically.

"I don't know. NYU has a pretty good team. A lot of good prospects." But my eyes were trained on three people, one on the field and two in the stands.

"They're not all that. Our team works really well together."

"Yeah, but they haven't had a break yet. This is their third game with maybe ten minutes in between."

They looked tired, but David still strutted to the middle of the field to shake hands with the other captain.

"Alright, let's go David!" We all started cheering and I saw Dillon look up and see me. He walked over to David after the coin toss and I couldn't hear what was said, but I could tell David didn't like it. He snapped his head towards Dillon and I saw his hand twitch. Zach's arm tensed and I could tell he saw it too.

"I should've punched him." I patted his bicep and chuckled.

"I have a feeling he will get his in the end." He shook his head.

"I would feel better if I could do it." I looped my arm through his and leaned on his shoulder.

"You'll find another way to get out that frustration. I did a lot of rock throwing."

"Well I don't see any rocks. What else?"

"You could always eat your feelings." A kid walked by with popcorn and a corndog. "You could always start with some of that." He gave a half laugh.

"Gallagher Girl, are you hungry?"

"Maybe a little." He stood up and offered his hand.

"Come on let's go eat my feelings." I took his hand and bounded down the bleachers. We were strolling towards the concession stand when Zach slipped his hand in mine and pulled me another way.

"Where are we going?" He looked at me innocently.

"To get corn dogs." I furrowed my eyebrows and pointed back at the concession stand.

"But it's right there." He smirked.

"Those corndogs are what they give to tourists. It's garbage." My stomach rumbled.

"Pretty good smelling garbage," I grumbled. He laughed and kept his hand in mine.

"It's just outside these gates. We won't be gone long."

So we walked, right out of the stadium and about half a mile towards the beach, and straight up to a little shack.

"This place has the best corn dogs?" He smiled a little.

"Absolutely."

"And how do you know this?" He shrugged.

"I don't really, but I heard some people talking about it last night, so I thought it was worth a shot." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"So the ones at the stadium might be better?" He just tugged my hand and pulled me closer to him.

"It's concession stand corn dogs. You know they just pulled those out of the freezer. Besides, I like the crowd here better." I looked around and there was no one else.

"What crowd?" He smirked at me.

"Exactly."

"So you dragged me away from the stadium and the most important game to bring me to an empty corndog stand? Why?" He smirked.

"Maybe I just wanted a corndog." I nudged him.

"Zach."

"Maybe I just didn't want to watch Josh staring at you from the other side of the bleachers the whole game." I rolled my eyes and walked up to the counter to order.

We got our corndogs, and I admit, they did look good. We sat on the sandy bench outside and I drenched my corndog in mustard.

"Easy on the mustard. You're going to drown it." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"This is how I like it." I took the first bite and it was heaven. I had been deprived of good corndogs my whole life, until this moment. I ate the whole thing in, I don't know twenty seconds, and Zach just watched me in amusement.  
"What?" He just shook his head and looked away.

"Nothing." He took his last two bites and clapped his hands together.

"You ready to see the rest of the game?" I stood up and held out my hand. While he was getting up I heard him mumble, "Not really."

"Come on the game is probably half way over. The others will wonder where we went." He grabbed my hand again and pulled me back.

"Let them wonder." I would be content to hang out here the rest of the day, but we were there for David.

"Zach. You could be missing out on seeing Dillon get his ass kicked." I saw the light in his eyes and the tug of his lips into a smile.

"Fine, but if he talks about you, you can't stop me."

We walked back hand in hand and I was kind of hoping the stadium wouldn't be there so soon. Before we walked through the gates Zach tugged me back to him and put his other arm at my waist.

"Did I ever tell you thank you?"

"For what?"

"For remembering my birthday and making breakfast. For forgiving me for the dryer." He smirked and I hit him on the arm.

"I'm still not over that." He looked at me deeply.

"Thank you. For being here." I smiled and at that moment my mind went into panic mode.

 _Make sure you're ready for it. You'll know when it's right._

"Anytime." I walked through the gates and I dropped my hand from his. When we got back to the bleachers Bex, Grant and Jonas gave us questioning looks. I ignored them and sat back in my place on the bleachers.

The game was tied and I was looking for David.

"Where's David?" Lucas gave a mischievous grin.

"On the bench. He got a penalty in the first ten minutes." My eyes widened.

"What did he do?" He pointed to the other side of the bench where Dillon was sitting with an ice pack on his face and his leg propped up.

"Unnecessary roughness." I felt myself smile and looked over at Zach.

"See."

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"Zach! My main man! You ready for this?" We were standing outside the bar and Grant looked like he was giving a pep talk.

"Absolutely."

"You drinking tonight?" Zach seemed to be thinking about it.

"Come on Zach. We're in Miami on your birthday. No one is going to catch you here and you deserve it."

"What the hell. It's my birthday." He smirked and I was happy for him. He was always the one to take care of everyone else, it was about time he got to have a little more fun.

Nick lead the charge inside and went to the bartender.

"Hello sir. It is my man's birthday over here. Can we get a round of shots?" He smiled and rubbed his hands together.

"I know just what you need." He grabbed a bottle and started pouring into all the little glasses.

"Have fun." Then he looked at all of us and his eyes landed on me. "Make sure you take care of him. These things can be kind of strong."

We all took a shot and raised them in the air.

"To Zach!" We clinked glasses and tossed them back. The bartender slid another one toward Zach. He took it with a smile and tossed it back. The bartender looked me dead in the eyes again.

"You got him?" I nodded.

"Alright Zach, let's go play some pool outside." He looked fiercely competitive now. Was that what happened when he drank?

"You're on Gallagher Girl. David? Are you with me?" David was still on a high from his big win.

"Of course. I could use another win today." I glared and looked at Jonas.

"Jonas?" He looked at me then glanced down at his ringing phone.

"Um… maybe next game." He walked away smiling. So then I turned to Nick and shot him a grin.

"Nick?" He glanced warily at David.

"Oh no. I swore never to play against David again. It didn't end well last time." I tried not to laugh but I remembered last time they played against each other. David swore Nick cheated and it ended with Nick getting hit in the eye with a pool stick.

I turned to Lucas who was already smirking at me.

"Lukey?" He gave a dramatic sigh.

"Well since you asked, and I know you really wanted to ask me first, I guess I'll say yes." I batted my eyelashes at him.

"I told you I would come crawling back to you eventually." He leaned against the pool table and crossed his arms.

"Well I always thought you would look a lot more love struck and desperate, but I guess this will do."

I picked up my pool stick and got ready.

"Losers buy the next rounds?" They nodded their head in agreement. David smirked.

"You guys better get your wallets ready." I rolled my eyes and I stood next to Zach at the head of the table.

"Go on birthday boy. You go first." His smile came easier and his eyes were lighter.

"With pleasure." He leaned over the table and his muscles tensed as he focused on the balls. I was kind of hoping the shots already started sinking in, but he didn't even sway when he broke the stack.

My heart sank a little when he got three solids into the pockets. He stood back up smirking.

"Get your money ready, Gallagher Girl."

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An hour later we had already gone through two pitchers and three games. Some guy saw it was Zach's birthday and did a couple of shots with him. Nick and Jonas were going to buy another round after that last game. Bex whispered something in Grant's ear and he immediately smiled.

"Well Zach, happy birthday. Mind if I ditch you for the rest of the night?" I saw he subtly nodded towards Bex and Zach gave him a smirk.

"Aw man. Remember when I was number one in your life?" He was starting to slur his words and I had a feeling this Zach didn't have a filter.

"You still are. You're my best man." He smiled.

"You're my best man too. But you should know you've been replaced for number one." Yep, I was right. No filter. Grant laughed a little.

"Oh yeah? By who?" Zach threw his arm around my shoulder and leaned into me.

"Cammie here is my new number one." He looked down at me and his eyes were really glossy. "You're my best friend Cam." I smiled and squeezed his hand around my shoulder.

"You're my best friend too." He smiled so brightly and stuck his tongue out at Bex.

"Did you hear that Rebecca? I'm her best friend!" Bex looked like she wanted to hurt him for using her full name, but she let it slide.

"Take good care of her then. Happy birthday, Zach." She took Grant's hand and they disappeared. Then there were four.

"Alright, how about the best friends play against us." David was leaning against the table waiting for us to accept his offer. Zach straightened up and it was amazing to see how sober he acted now.

"You're on." He looked down at me, "We got this." I smirked and poked his chest.

"I know I got this. I'm not too sure about you." He started pouting.

"What do you mean? I am rock solid." Okay, he wasn't swaying yet, but he was loosening up.

"Alright, let's see it then." He looked determined as he focused on the stack again. He broke it a little sloppier than normal, but it still sent two stripes into pockets. He flexed his arm at me.

"See. Rock solid." I rolled my eyes and walked to the opposite side of the table, switching with Lucas.

We continued our game until a busty brunette approached our table. Well I say our table, but really she approached Zach.

"Hi there." He didn't seem to notice her there but then Lucas hit him on the arm.

"Oh, hi." She smiled and tried arching her back more. I narrowed my eyes at her, but she didn't even see me there.

"I heard it was your birthday, so I bought you a shot." He smiled and took it from her hand.

"Really? How nice of you." God was he really that clueless?

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see David raising his eyebrow at me.

"Cool it Cammie. He's fine." I scoffed.

"Yeah, I bet he is." He gave a short laugh.

"Cammie, you might want to go to the bathroom and wash your face. You're turning green with envy." I hit him and saw the girl trying to loop her arm through Zach's to take the shot.

"Hey Zach." Zach turned to look at David.

"Why don't you save it for later? I think you need some water first." He nodded his head.

"Yeah. You're right." He turned to the girl and gave her a smile. "Thank you for the shot." She looked pissed and then for the first time she looked at me and glared. It wasn't like I directly did anything. I kept my mouth shut.

Zach started sipping on some water and I shot David a grateful smile. He winked at me and looked back at the table. He made eye contact with Lucas and nodded towards the shot on the table. Lucas looked confused so he pointed between him and the shot. Lucas picked it up and put it on another table away from Zach.

We continued playing and just as the game was about to be over we heard some loud off key singing from inside. I looked through one of the open windows and saw Nick belting out Aerosmith on the little stage.

"Is Nick singing karaoke?" Lucas had a huge grin on his face.

"Dude, I love karaoke! Let's go." I frantically shook my head.

"Nope. I do not do karaoke." David shared Lucas's grin.

"Well I'm in." They went back inside. And then there were two.

I walked around to Zach's side of the table.

"Does that mean we won?" He smirked and leaned on his pool stick.

"We would've won anyway." Honestly it was pretty close and I'm not too sure that we would have won.

"I don't know about that." He smirked at me.

"Sure we would have. We make a great team." I smiled.

"That we do. And we make great dance partners." He already knew where I was going with it and held out his hand. I took it and he pulled me all the way through the dancing bodies towards the other edge of the mob, the farthest away from the bar and most of the light. And I had to admit, with the easy grin and the moonlight shining, he looked unbelievably sexy.

We came in on one of the faster salsas and he pulled me close. His footwork was a little sloppier, but I didn't mind. He spun me around and back a few times before the song slowed down. I didn't hesitate before wrapping my arms around his neck and his went to my hips. There wasn't as large of a gap as the night before.

"Are you having a good birthday?" He just gave me a big smile.

"It's great. Best I've ever had." I smiled in return and he lowered his forehead onto mine.

"Gallagher Girl, did I thank you for today?"

"Once or twice." He stopped dancing and pulled me even closer.

"No. Did I thank you for today?" It was the same sentence but it had a deeper meaning now when paired with those eyes. I felt my breath hitch and my mouth went dry. My heart was beating faster in my chest and I had to figure out what to say.

"Zach…" One of his hands was trailing up and down my side, sending goosebumps through my whole body.

"Gallagher Girl…" It would be so easy to close that gap and I wanted to. He kept glancing at my lips and I knew he wanted it too. Before I could think about it anymore Zach did it. He crashed his lips into mine. I was pulled so close there wasn't an inch between us. He moved his lips urgently against mine and I lost all sense. My hands ran through his hair and he was walking us backwards away from the crowd. I don't know how far but eventually I was pressed against a wall.

I kissed him more urgently and his hands started trailing down my side. I wrapped my leg around him and he lifted me against the wall. I broke free for air and he immediately moved to my neck.

"Zach…" I sounded breathless and it came out more as a moan. He grunted in response and trailed his kisses back up my jaw.

"Zach, maybe we should…" I trailed off as his lips were back on my neck.

"Maybe we should what?" It came out mumbled but it snapped me back to what was happening.

"Zach. You've been drinking." He stopped kissing me but still held me close.

"I'm not drunk." I wanted to believe him but he must have read the uncertainty in my eyes.

"Cammie, please tell me you wanted this too. Tell me I'm not crazy and this wasn't one sided." God no. I feel like this has been a long time coming. So I told him in the only way I knew how. I crashed my lips roughly into his again and we were back to frantically running our hands over each other's bodies. His hand started trailing up and down my thigh and I tightened my grip on him. My whole body was on fire and I had never felt this way before. Not even half of this. But I pulled back again.

"Wait. Shouldn't we talk about this?" He pulled back too and looked so lustful.

"Gallagher Girl, I think we've done plenty of talking and not enough of this." He returned to my neck and softly bit by my ear, sending shivers through my whole body.

I dug my nails into his shoulder and he returned to my lips. It was like he was trying to drink up every drop. He licked my lips for entrance and I gladly let him. Nothing about it was sweet and delicate, just months of tension let out all at once. He pulled back for air and rested his forehead on mine. We both were breathing heavily and smiling.

"God why didn't I kiss you months ago?"

"There were plenty of reasons." I started to hear the worry in my voice and he stroked my cheek.

"I can't think of any right now." I smiled and trailed kisses down his jaw to his neck. I started lightly and until I heard him moan.

"What are you doing to me?" I smirked and started more roughly.

"Just a little birthday present." He captured my lips again and I moaned against them. He pulled back and smirked.

"Best birthday ever."


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: I'm back! Sorry for that cliffhanger, but it was a good one. So this chapter took a while to write, mainly because I would do a few paragraphs at a time. We're getting into the Zammie fluff now that it only took 28 chapters for them to kiss. I'm ready to let their relationship grow. Enjoy!**

Chapter 29

The bar was only a mile down the road, but it seemed like it was 20. I think the farthest we got was about 100 feet of walking before we started kissing again. It was insane. It was the first time kissing but it felt so familiar.

It took an hour, but we finally made it back to the house. I opened the door slowly, trying not to make a sound. Zach didn't seem to care about making a sound. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and started kissing my neck.

"Zach." He hummed in response but kept me there in the doorway. I looked around and the living room was dark. It was quiet, but I saw the glow of a TV from the crack under Lucas and Nick's room. I wiggled out of his grasp and held lightly onto his hand.

"Shh." I pressed a finger to his lips and he smiled.

"Are you trying to sneak around?" I winced but there was no point in lying.

"Yes. Until we actually talk, I'm not letting anyone know."

His smiled dropped a little and I could tell he was less enthusiastic now. I pulled him close and pecked him on the cheek.

"Not forever. Just until we talk about this." I motioned between us and he smiled again.

"This?" His arms were around my waist and his lips were hovering over mine. "And what is this?" His eyes were teasing and his lips stayed a hairs length away. I closed the gap and he smiled against my lips.

"You're not doing a very good job at trying to hide this." I checked over my shoulder and saw the coast was clear. I laced our fingers together and quietly walked down the hallway. There was a cheer from Lucas and Nick. They weren't asleep yet and were probably watching sports. I made my steps lighter and twisted the knob as quietly as I could. Once the door was silently closed I was trapped against it. His arms were strong on either side of me and he kept a few inches distance between us. He was looking at me, really looking at me like I've never seen before.

I thought I always wanted to be looked at like I was normal, that's what attracted me to Josh anyway. But this was different. I could see the lust in his eyes, and then the worry. His eyebrows scrunched together.

"What are you thinking?" I bit my lip. I had about a million thoughts, but none of them were really clear. Except one.

"No one has ever looked at me like that before." There was a glimmer in his eyes as he smirked.

"Is it okay?" It made my heart flip and my knees weak.

"Yeah. It's perfect." I grabbed the front of his shirt and closed the gap. He was less frantic now and his kiss was slow. Usually this made me bored, but not with Zach. I wanted to savor every movement and I wanted more. I lightly pushed on his chest and walked towards the bed. He paused and pulled away when his leg hit the end.

"Cam…" For the first time he looked nervous, and then I remembered he has never had a girlfriend before. I never thought I would be the experienced one, especially when he was always so confident. I trailed my hands up and down his chest and I felt his frantic heartbeat.

"Zach, we don't need to do anything. We can stop right now." His eyes roamed over my body and he moved to wrap his arms around me. I couldn't help but smile and I leaned forward to kiss him. It was as urgent anymore, but it still held the same passion.

He kept our lips locked and he tightened his hold on me. I felt the world starting to turn upside down as he lowered me onto the bed. He covered my body with his and I never appreciated how strong he was until then. I knew he was toned, but wrapping my arms around his waist for a ride was different than now. Now I could feel every muscle in his body. And still I wanted him so much closer.

I tangled my fingers in his hair deepening the kiss. He didn't hesitate and soon his hand was trailing up and down my side. Just his touch sent fire through my body and I broke the kiss moaning. He smiled and trailed kisses down my neck. His teeth grazed my skin and I arched my back. One of his arms hooked around my waist, keeping me pressed against him. I moved my hips against him and he groaned. He slipped his hand under my shirt and his fingers were light as a feather as they ran across my side. He traced the underside of my bra and my brain froze.

"Zach." I sounded breathless and he pulled away. The look in his eyes caught me off guard. I almost forgot why my brain froze.

"Maybe we should slow down." He relaxed his grip so I wasn't flush against him.

"Gallagher Girl, this is already further than I thought I would ever get." I propped myself up on my elbows and smirked at him.

"You never thought you would kiss me?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh I wanted to. I just didn't think you would ever let me." I couldn't help but laugh and my chest bumped against his. We were still so close.

"I had no idea what you were thinking. You never tried getting any closer." He smirked and wrapped his arms around my back.

"And am I getting closer now?" I wrapped my arms around his neck and lightly kissed him.

"I don't know. I'm still not sure that you wanted this." He smirked and crashed his lips into mine hungrily. He kissed me until I was breathless.

"Are you sure now?" There wasn't a doubt in my mind. But that didn't mean I couldn't have any fun.

"You know how stubborn I can be. I think I need one more reminder." I met him half way and tangled my arms and legs around him. My heart was frantically beating and I don't think it would ever slow down.

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I woke with a tickle down my spine. There was warm breathe and lips lightly at the base of my neck. I involuntarily smiled and hummed.

"Is that your way of trying to wake me up?" He put a hand on my hip and lifted up on an elbow.

"Maybe it is." He still looked sleepy and his smirk was lazy. His hair was sticking up at odd angles and I wanted to run my hands through it.

"Not a bad way to start my morning." He kissed my forehead and stood up.

"Want to go for a run?" He was throwing on a tshirt, much to my disappointment. He picked up his shoes and sat back down on the bed. I slowly crawled over to him and wrapped my legs and arms around him.

"You know, a girl usually doesn't like it when a guy is running out of bed right after she wakes up." I felt the vibrations of his laugh and his hand was on my thigh.

"And I wouldn't dream of it. That's why I asked you to join me."

"Or…." I trailed kissed up and down his neck. "We could skip the run." His hand tightened on my thigh and I smiled knowing I was driving him crazy.

"Gallagher Girl." His voice sounded like velvet.

"Yes?" He chuckled and grabbed my hands to stop them from running up and down his chest.

"As much as I would love to stay here all day, I need to run. And I love running with you." It might have been one of the sweetest things he could have said right then. It was hard to find a good running buddy that actually pushed you to be better, but I had Zach. So I unlatched from him and pushed off the bed looking for my running shoes.

"Alright, I could run a few miles on the beach." I slipped on my running shoes and opened the door quietly. Zach slipped his hand in mine and I tensed up.

"What's wrong?"

"I… uh…" I don't know why I was worried about doing this in public. Well, around people we knew. I was having such a great time when it was just us in our own world, I didn't really think about what would happen when we entered the real world. He gave my hand a squeezed and slipped it back out.

"It's okay." But it wasn't and he didn't really look like he thought it was okay either.

We ran in silence and it wasn't the comfortable silence that usually followed. I kept racking my brain for reasons why I wouldn't want to be seen with Zach in public and I kept coming up blank. I mean who wouldn't want to be able to say that this guy liked her? And be able to kiss him anytime I wanted? It really was something that I should have been excited for, but something in the pit of my stomach kept telling me, 'no'. I didn't even know the tears were falling until I choked back a sob. Zach stopped abruptly and grabbed my arm.

"Cammie." I tried to suck up the tears but they fell anyway. His arms wrapped around me and he smoothed my hair.

"I'm sorry." I buried my head in his chest but that didn't stop Zach from lifting my head to his.

"Sorry for what?" I motioned between us.

"For this. And not being able to do anything." His thumb wiped away tears from my cheeks. His smile dropped.

"We don't have to do anything. We can go back to being just friends." He dropped his hands and looked away from me. I so desperately wanted to reach out and grab him, but I knew I shouldn't.

"Can we really do that?" He laughed and ran a hand through his hair.

"We did a pretty good job at it for three months. It will be hard, but I'm sure we could do it." He looked at me and I still saw a small light in his eyes. I sat down in the sand and he was quick to follow. I rested my head on his shoulder and he tensed a little.

"Isn't that going to be awkward between us?" He smiled down at me.

"I already saw you in your underwear before this. It's just another thing to get past." I looked up at him, remembering the night when he took care of my drunken self. How I spilled my guts to him and he didn't shy away. And here he was, inches away and I was running scared. His knee grazed mine and like a switch I reacted. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him toward me. My lips hit his hard, and he was stunned before he reacted.

If this were to be our last kiss, I wanted to make it last. I kissed him deeper. We stayed there, on the beach, liplocked until I couldn't breath. I pulled back and we were both breathing heavily. His eyes were wider and filled with desire.

"Yeah, we can't be just friends." He laughed and took my hand. I didn't flinch this time.

"Why is this so easy when we're not around people?" I saw his smile and I melted a little.

"Because we can pretend that they won't freak out and I won't be beheaded."

"Why would you be beheaded?"

"I've kind of been told not to mess up our friendship group." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"So they told you you couldn't date me?" He looked a little embarrassed.

"Not exactly. They just said I couldn't mess up the way we all hang out." A lightbulb went off in my brain. An awful idea, that might buy us some time, lightbulb.

"What if we don't make the grand announcement and just let them decide for themselves." Doubt filled his face.

"So lie to them?"

"Well when you put it that way…" He groaned in frustration. "I don't want to lie to them either, but you said so yourself, they won't just let it be. It's going to be a huge conversation and we don't even know what this is. I don't know if we should talk about this. I'm not really good with" He cut off my rambling with a sharp kiss. I melted into him and he wrapped both arms around me.

"Cammie, if you don't want to tell them, we don't have to. We can't hide this forever though." I felt a lump in my throat.

"What even is this?" He lifted my chin up to look at him.

"This is me telling you I'm crazy about you. Ever since I stole your dryer and that I wish I would've told you back then." I let out a light hearted laugh.

"No, I would've smacked you." He smirked at me.

"You were in to me. You were just mad." I was mad, but I did think he was attractive.

"I don't know if you feel the same way, I'm hoping you do, but I want to keep doing this."

"More than anything." He had the same smile from last night. It made my heart jump in my chest. He pulled me closer and we watched the sun creep higher and higher in the sky. Zach patted my knee and started to stand up.

"The others will be awake soon and this is our last full day here." I knew we should head back but in that moment everything was perfect. I reluctantly took his hand and we started our run back.

It was the comfortable silence and every now and then I would see Zach sneaking glances at me. The house was in sight and I slowed my pace. It made my heart drop thinking of what we would be doing. Was it a horrible idea? Yes, but it bought me the time I needed to get my head on straight. I was starting to walk up the stairs when Zach tugged on my arm and pulled me under them.

His hands burned as they left my arm and tangled in my hair. He didn't hesitate before letting his tongue explore my mouth. I hummed against his lips and he finally pulled away.

"Just in case I don't get to do that for the rest of the day."

I squeezed his hand before slipping out from under the stairs. I pushed open the door and smelled bacon.

"Do I smell bacon?" Bex poked her head around the corner to where we were.

"Oh my gosh. Did you seriously go bloody running? It's too early and you're on vacation."

"My soccer tryouts won't care that I was on vacation." Bex rolled her eyes at Zach.

"You two are seriously crazy." She waved her hand in the air as she disappeared back to the kitchen. Zach's hand trailed across the small of my back as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Did you make extra?" He called to them and looked back winking at me.

I followed him into the kitchen and saw Grant and Jonas fighting over a pancake. Nick was at the table drinking coffee black and cringing at the bickering. I went to sit next to him.

"Rough night?" He shook his head then squeezed his eyes shut.

"Too many shots." I could tell. The last time I saw him he was singing karaoke and I was guessing by the way he slurred he was already tipsy.

"Shake it off buddy." Zach sat down on the other side of me and dropped a plate of food in front of me. Nick studied Zach before glaring.

"How are you okay? You had a lot to drink when I was with you." Zach shrugged and took a bite of his pancake.

"I didn't have much after that." Nick took another sip of his coffee and looked at me.

"Did you cut him off?" _You could say that._

"Yeah. He was getting a little sloppy." He gave me a side eye.

"I was not getting sloppy." Jonas walked over to our table with the pancake on his plate.

"Zach, you were getting a little sloppy. I heard about the chick who wanted to take you home." I tensed up remembering the girl that bought him a shot. Zach just shook his head.

"I wouldn't have done that. She was just being nice."

"Was she hot?" Nick leaned back in his chair waiting for the answer. He paused and it was the longest second of my life.

"No. Too much makeup. She wasn't my type." I gave an inaudible sigh of relief.

"I'd say you had a pretty good birthday. You got to go out with your buddies and even had some chicks hitting on you." His knee pressed against mine.

"Yeah. It was a great birthday."

 **So do you think this arrangement will work out? Is it more about the guys reaction or is it a security blanket? Who do you think will be the first to find out? Thanks for reading! I haven't done any shout outs in a while and if I don't get to you just know that I appreciate each and every one of you!**

 **Eternallyweird: I know, just 28 chapters but there will be lots of kissing now.**

 **nickijae: I had to have a slow burn so that relationship could grow. They're already falling hard and I think the 'i love you's will come faster because of that.**

 **gymnast1150: Thank you love! We're going to hope she doesn't mess it up. She is still insecure from her last relationship so that will come into play with their relationship.**

 **GryffindorQueen101: I love you! Thank you for reading and I really hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Colleen: I always love your enthusiasm! I know I love how David is kind of a softy. I love these guys and can't wait until they find out.**

 **CammieAMorgan: You're amazing! They had one long build up but I hope that it lived up to it's expectations.**

 **LuckyMe22: Thank you! I will try to keep it up!**

 **And to all the guests: thank you! Seriously the support from you guys is amazing!**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Holy Guacamole! 30 Chapters! I seriously never saw this coming and you beautiful people made it happen! I couldn't do it without you and we aren't even finished! So after a stressful day I decided to finish up this chapter (and extended it a little longer). I hope you guys have had a great weekend! Unfortunately this next chapter won't be up for a couple of weeks. I'll be writing throughout the week but this next weekend will be a little busy and I don't see a whole chapter by then :( Stick with me guys! In the meantime, read some of the other great fanfics that have blossomed! So many new ones popped up and I'm so excited! Love you guys!**

Chapter 30

"No! No horror movies!" Lucas's shoulders slumped and he put on puppy dog eyes.

"It's not a horror movie. It's just a possessed doll. Child's play." He held his hand in the air for a high five and David reluctantly complied.

"Wait you want to watch Annabelle? Na uh. There's a doll in my room. I'm not doing that." Grant was shaking his head furiously and Bex rolled her eyes looking at me.

"Does the baby need me to protect him from the big scary cabbage patch doll?" He squeezed her tighter in the little chair.

"I'm not worried about that doll, but if we watch a movie about a possessed doll we're just asking for trouble." She leaned into his chest and gave him a kiss. Lucas made a face.

"Gross. Fine no Annabelle. What about Pirates of the Caribbean? Still some ghost action but not a horror." We all nodded in agreement and he settled back in on the couch next to David, Jonas and Nick. It was pretty packed with the four of them and I was a little more than excited to share the loveseat with Zach. Not as cozy as Bex and Grant, but still close enough.

"Alright, let's set a few ground rules for movie night." Jonas looked all serious and I knew he had a pet peeve about people who ask questions during the movie.

"Don't ask questions during the movie," I volunteered and he sent me an appreciative smile.

"Exactly. You'll find out what happens soon enough." David looked over at Bex and Grant who were already getting too touchy.

"And no PDA." He shot them a glare and Grant loosened his hold on Bex.

"We know our limit." David cringed with the rest of us. And it was brief, but I swear I saw Jonas raise an eyebrow at me. So I straightened up and moved a little farther away from Zach.

It was uncomfortable trying to stay so stiff and about ten minutes into the movie, I couldn't take it anymore. I let myself relax and pulled my feet up, leaning towards the middle cushion. And ten minutes later I saw Zach's arm rest on the backside of the cushion. And about twenty minutes after that I let myself slip back more until I felt his arm at the base of my neck.

Just the smallest touch and I glaced around the room to make sure no one would suspect anything. Not that they should, it's an arm resting on the back of the couch afterall. But I was still relieved to see that no one had given me suspicious glances. They were all too consumed in the movie, or their phones to notice anything. And then I caught Zach's glance and he was raising his eyebrow at me.

"What?" He shrugged and had a smug look on his face.

By the end of the movie I had relaxed all the way to my back was touching his side. If I leaned my head back it would be right on his shoulder. It was warm and comfortable, but I knew it had to end.

"What about we watch the next one?" I had never heard more perfect words uttered from David's mouth. I heard a sharp breath and looked to see Bex's eyes fluttering back open.

"What are we doing?" She yawned and looked around. Grant rubbed circles on her back.

"Nothing babe. Go back to sleep." If this were a room full of girls, there would be a lot of 'aww's but it wasn't. Just the barely noticible smiles on each of their faces.

"I'm going to make some popcorn." Zach pushed off the couch and my knee. I felt the burning imprint of his hand and I wanted to follow it.

"I'll help. You don't put enough butter on it." He smirked at me over his shoulder.

"Unlike you who puts two whole sticks?" I shrugged my shoudlers.

"It was a lot of popcorn they all had to be thoroughly coated."

I followed him around the corner, into the kitchen. I shuffled through the pantry to find the bags of popcorn. I was reaching up to get the popcorn from the top shelf when two large hands were on my sides, lifting me that extra inch. The hands didn't release once I got the popcorn box, they just spun me around and pulled me closer to him. His hands were searing in my side and leaving a trail of fire where they moved. He grinned down at me and captured my lips in his. I pushed back and looked over his shoulder.

Zach bent down to my ear and whispered, "They're in the other room. I was good for a whole movie." His eyes were pleading but I still felt unsure.

"They could still see." He smirked and took the box of popcorn from me. I watched as he tore open the box and put a bag in the microwave. He turned back to me and gave one last glance over his shoulder. He shut the door to the pantry silently and that was enough security for me. I pulled him by the shirt to me and he laughed against my lips.

"I should be good more often."

"Shut up Goode. We have two minutes." His eyes filled with a lightness and he pulled me closer to him. We didn't waste time with soft, tender kisses. I felt every muscle in his chest and let my hands roam all over. He grabbed the backs of my legs and lifted me up. I wanted time to stop, but we only had two minutes and the beeping of the microwave came way too soon.

Zach let out a soft groan as he put me back down and reached for the doorknob, turning it silently. The kitchen was still empty and I could hear the faint chatter from the other room. That must have been enough clearance for Zach to snake his arms around my waist as I took the popcorn into the bowl. I grabbed the butter and was about to pour it over the popcorn and Zach's lips found my neck. I put the butter back down and melted into him.

"That's right. Put down the butter." I turned and smacked his chest.

"Zach! It needs more butter." I picked it up and he grabbed my wrist.

"Gallagher Girl, it's prebuttered. There's plenty." He took a fresh pop from the bowl and threw it in his mouth. "Yum. See, it's perfect."

"It's not enough butter. This is just movie theater, we need butter lovers." He tossed another piece in his mouth and held his buttery fingers toward me.

"You're telling me you want more butter than this?" I maintained my ground and crossed my arms.

"Yes I do." He smirked at me.

"Fine. You can take all the extra butter from me." He moved his buttery fingers to smear on my face. I ducked to dodge his hand and he took the opportunity to grab the popcorn bowl. I grabbed my small bowl of melted butter and ran after him. With a leap I was on his back. He stumbled from the jump but recovered quickly. I just had to pour the butter over the bowl. I reached and started to pour but he moved it out at the last second, getting butter on his arm.

"Gross. Now my arm is all buttery." He held the bowl out of my reach and I got closer to his ear.

"I'll have to lick that up." He came to a stop when we were close to the corner. I had a self satisfied smirk on my face and kept reaching for the bowl.

"What are you two doing?" I heard Nick's voice and we both looked over at the five pairs of eyes looking at us bewildered.

"Lucas, grab the popcorn!" I started squirming again trying to reach the popcorn before I was too late. I was practically half way over Zach's shoulder when Lucas got the popcorn. I huffed in defeat then looked at the melted butter in my hands.

"Alright, you asked for it." I lifted the butter bowl over Zach's head and he started spinning around.

"Nick, get the butter!" The whole room was spinning and I could faintly make out Nick's face and his arm reaching up towards the bowl. I lifted it higher, but Zach just stopped spinning and sat on the ground. I jerked over Zach's shoulder sprawled across his lap before I could think of what a mistake that would be. He pinned down my arms and I kept squirming around with my legs. Without thinking he sprawled on top of me and all the air left my lungs. I barely registered that Nick grabbed the butter bowl. Zach was on top of me in front of the whole room and for a brief second he looked like he wanted to kiss me again. I broke eye contact in time to see Nick pouring the butter over the popcorn.

"Yes! Extra butter!" Zach sighed defeated and was still holding me.

"Nick, you traitor!" He shrugged as he looked at us.

"I like extra butter too." I gave Zach a smirk.

"Ha. I win."

"Yeah. You're a real winner right now." The words sounded sarcastic but the playful look and a subtly wink changed the meaning.

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After the second movie and really quick stolen kisses in passing to the bathroom, we were at the beginning of the third movie. Bex and Grant were fast asleep in the chair, David was lightly snoring on the edge of the couch, Nick left to Facetime with Annie and Lucas was texting on his phone and I saw a yawn escape from him. Jonas and Zach were the only one paying full attention to the movie. I was too busy thinking about how warm Zach was as I leaned against him and the middle cushion. It was comforting and my eyes were getting heavier, but this was my favorite movie and I didn't want to miss any of it.

"Will should've just told Elizabeth about needing the Black Pearl." Zach's gaze dropped from the movie down to me.

"And why is that?" Will had just crossed Jack and Barbossa and then lost the Pearl in another double cross.

"Well if he just told her, they probably could've worked together and this never would have happened. And they would make awesome pirate couple."

"Yeah. I guess it's not that easy when someone is hiding something." I felt a little guilt deep down. We we're hiding something. Not from each other at least, but I felt like Will and the rest of my friends were Elizabeth. They find out eventually.

That was my last thought before my eyes closed and didn't open again.

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I heard the sound of cannon fires and gunshots and a heartbeat. My head rose and fell slightly with the person's breathing and there were fingers pulling through my hair lightly. That enough was like drinking a glass of warm milk. I could've slept forever but I willed my eyes to open. I lifted my head and saw Zach still wide away stretched out beside me. My arm was laying on his chest and my leg curled around him. No wonder I was so comfy.

"How long was I out?" He gave me a smile.

"Only an hour." I lifted my head higher to look around the room. Only Jonas was left and he was stretched out on the couch sleeping.

"Where did everyone else go?"

"After Lucas started snoring, Jonas made him go back to his room. David woke up and went to his room and Grant woke up and carried Bex back to their room."

"Looks like you're the only one still awake." He gave me a smirk.

"Does that make me the winner?"

"That makes you the one most likely to be tired tomorrow." He shook his head.

"You woke up for the best part." The ships were tangled in the maelstrom and Jack was swinging over to the Dutchman.

"This is the best battle scene."

"I thought so too." His fingers still played with the ends of my hair.

We watched the battle and the back and forth. Suddenly his hands stopped running through my hair and I saw the excitement in his eyes.

"This is a great scene." It was probably his favorite. I could tell by the way he reacted that it was. I watched silently, getting a little more Intel on Zach.

It was the scene with Will and Elizabeth. In the middle of fighting they decide to put everything aside and get married. I admit, it was a good part. They were in the middle of a battle and fighting the bad guys while they were getting married. Then their blades crossed and Zach's grip tightened on me for a moment. I looked up at him grinning.

"Is that your favorite part?" He tried hiding him smile.

"It's just really poetic. Think of the symbolism behind that. They're getting married and their blades cross. That symbolizes the fights and hardships in their relationship, but they lower their swords and seal the deal. Their relationship was never easy and they had to work at it." I looked up at him a little bit in awe.

"Wow, that's deep. Who knew you were a poet?" He pointed to himself.

"I'm a psych major. I have different outlooks on a lot of things and get to the deeper meaning of it."

"Do you do that with everything or just movies?"

"Movies are easy. There is very little misinterpretation. People are a lot harder. It takes a lot to figure out their motives." I leaned forward and kissed him.

"What was my motive for that?" He smirked at me.

"Clearly you think I'm irresistible." I swatted his chest. He looked back down at me.

"I don't know. I haven't figured that one out yet. I don't know why you like me." I saw the slightest bit of vulnerability in his eyes. I stayed quiet. This wasn't the time for opening up my soul, especially with Jonas asleep on the next couch. So instead I kissed him long and hard. He shifted so we were chest to chest and his hand was on my cheek. The only thing that broke us apart was the sound of Elizabeth's scream from the movie. His arm went around my waist and I rested my head on his chest again. We watched the rest of the movie and I felt his thumb drawing circles on the sliver of skin on my hip. I couldn't think about the movie when he was doing that. Goosebumps raced down my legs and every lazy circle made me want him more. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore my temptation. The credits started rolling and Zach's hand climbed a little higher up my side.

"Hey Gallagher Girl." He had a deep husky whisper and I had never heard a more alluring sound.

"Want to go for a night swim?" His hand was resting on my rib cage, pulling me slightly closer to him.

"Absolutely." I didn't even recognize my own voice. It was a few octaves higher and he smirked at the change. He grabbed my hand and we tiptoed back to the room. I grabbed the skimpy black bikini to change and a towel to wrap around me. We tiptoed out the backdoor and his hand slipped in mine was we walked down the sandy path. The waves were breaking in front of us and the rest of the world was quiet. I grabbed both his hands in mine and walked backwards toward the water.

"Oh, now you want to get in." I felt the chilly water at my feet and I kicked some up at him.

"Come on. The water's great!" He jumped back a little from the chill.

"You sure this isn't too cold for you?"

"I'm fine Zach. Besides, I'm sure you'll keep me warm." I was knee deep and he rushed toward me. His hands were warm on my back and his breath warm on my cheek. He backed me further into the waves, never breaking eye contact.

"Did I tell you how amazing you look in this swimsuit?" I blushed and bit my lip.

"Really." His hands rested right on my hip bones.

"I couldn't take my eyes off of you yesterday." His fingers flexed against my hips. "Or my hands." I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me. His lips were warm against mine and it cancelled out the biting cold water. I felt his hands on the backside of my legs and I jumped up, wrapping them around his waist. Our bodies were pressed flush together and I didn't feel the chill of the water anymore. I felt warm and there was a burning inside of me and his tongue explored my mouth. I wave reached up to my hip and he pulled back. His cheeks were flushed as he rested his head against mine. He dipped us down in the water and we floated with the bobbing waves. He still had a light touch on my thigh and the other on my back pulled me against him.

"Yeah, I really like that swimsuit." I blushed. I was starting to like it too.

"Yeah, it's not really me though." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. This is more of something Macey would wear."

"I like the girl in it now." I felt a little nagging thought at the back of my mind.

"A lot of the clothes I've been wearing aren't really me. They're made for people to be seen and that's not me. I hope you aren't doing this just because of some black bikini."

"Gallagher Girl, I could care less what you wear. Sure you're pretty sexy in this bikini, but you're also incredibly beautiful wearing my shirt and some shorts." I smiled to myself and closed my eyes.

"You're meant to be seen. I see you. I always have." Of course he did. That's part of the reason I liked him, I think. That was a reason I liked Josh too. He saw me and didn't make me feel like the fatherless girl. Zach didn't make me completely forget it, but he certainly didn't make me dwell on it for days. It was different with him, but a good different.

"What happens when we go back?"

"Well you go to that little town Lillytown"

"Roseville." I corrected him and he waved it away.

"And I go with Grant up to New York for a week." I smiled knowing he would have somewhere to go.

"I don't mean about that. I mean what happens with us." He was quiet for a moment and the chill started creeping in.

"Well I'm thinking a few more midnight milkshakes and morning pancakes. Maybe going out to eat and see a movie."

"Just some movies?" He gave me a sultry look.

"Maybe a little more of this. And if Grant is feeling it, a few more sleepovers." I hummed in response.

"And a little more of this." His lips were on my neck then light as a feather.

"I would like that." He pulled back though and he looked a little sad.

"Soccer starts before we get back. I might be a little busier."

"You're going to do great."

"Will you come to some of my games?"

"Of course." He looked down and I saw the nerves kicking in.

"I don't even know if I'll be playing, but I would like it if you could come to a few." I kissed him lightly.

"I'll be there. Front row cheering for you. I might even wear your number." He kissed me harder. I pulled back laughing.

"Wow, that's what I get for just going to a few games and wearing your number?" His eyes weren't playful at all.

"I've never had that before."

"You were probably like the star of the team. How did you not have anyone support you?" I was sure he would be the popular kid in school with an adoring crowd cheering for him. He gave a slight smirk.

"Well there were people there that cheered when I scored, but they weren't there for me. This is different and that means the world to me." It all felt really serious now. We weren't just two people that decided they couldn't take the tension anymore and kissed. There were feelings involved that we hadn't talked about. There was a lot at stake. Wasn't that the reason I didn't want to tell anyone?

"Zach, I-"

"Before you say anything, I need to say it. Cammie I like you. I like you a lot actually. I finally got the nerve to do something about it and I think it's been pretty great. I know you don't want to tell anyone yet, and I'm fine with that, but I don't want to hide my feelings from you." There it was. The words that I had been so excited but anxious for. It changes everything and I could pretend I didn't feel the same way or I could finally face that fear straight on. I looked into his eyes, they looked hopeful in the moonlight. I took a deep breath.

"I like you too. I want this."

 **Shoutouts!**

 **OnlyHere4Puckbrina: Yeah, it never works out. There's always a rough patch and hopefully it smooths over. Those are definitely top three that could figure it out. But maybe I'll throw in a curveball**

 **Solveig: Thank you! I never thought I would get this far so I'm in it for the long run now!**

 **Zammieshortie: Awww thanks! I'm glad I can fulfill your lifelong wish**

 **FableHaven4eva: Thank you! I feel ya, I don't log in half the time when I actually read.**

 **Luckyme22: We all knew they were more than friends ;)**

 **Original GallagherGirl: EXACTLY! Don't get me wrong, I love confident Zach with experience, and I have no doubt he's still pretty confident, but lets get real. In the books Cammie was probably his first kiss (maybe not but when you're hidden in a mountain and treated like a convict you don't have much time to get around). I like to think that Zach is just as nervous but tries to look confident.**

 **BritishBombshell007: I LOVE YOUR NAME! Amazing! I'm not sure, it's a plot that I had never seen before. Most of the non-spy happen in high school and he's the football star. Of course I like those but I wanted something different and they have a little more freedom in college.**

 **eternallyweird: I felt the same way for so long! I get invested in stories that just kind of vanish. You can demand my head if I don't update for like six months because I want to finish this story! It's like my baby and I want to see it all grown up.**

 **CammieAMorgan: You're one to talk! You're like a legend! So many great stories and you update so quickly!**

 **Colleen: I know right! That is so crazy because I'm pseudo in a situation like this. Not really but kind of. I hope you had a great date!**

 **Thank you all who review! You make my day (or night)!**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: So my plans for this weekend changed a little, which gave me more time to write. So one year ago today, I met Ally Carter for the first time and basically fangirled. And now hearing that a Gallagher Girls movie is getting closer to becoming a reality I'm fangirling all over again! Every girl wishes to be Cammie (though I'm not an actor I do have the Cammie look). It would honestly be a dream come true just to be an extra in the movie. I got the plaid skirt already! What would your dream role be? Also enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 31

It was incredibly difficult to get out of bed the next morning, and not just because of the strong arm around my waist. It was Monday, the Monday that we had to leave this haven behind and get back to the real world. Even though he told me he liked me and that I liked him, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried how things would go when we get back. I had been lying in bed awake for over an hour now and I still wouldn't get up. I just closed my eyes, trying to soak in everything about this moment, before we told anyone. I still wasn't sure when we would, but they did deserve to know. Eventually.

I shifted a little and his arm tightened around me pulling me closer and placed a kiss on my temple. I couldn't help the grin that appeared on my face. I looked up at him but his eyes were still closed.

The voices from the kitchen started drifting down the hallway. I heard Jonas asking someone if they were packed. I glanced at my bag that was a complete mess and sighed. Just another reminder that this weekend had to end.

"Stop it." I looked up at Zach surprised. His eyes were definitely still closed. Was he sleep talking? I let it slide until moments later.

"Gallagher Girl, you're worrying. Don't." Then one of his eyes peaked open to look at me.

"I don't mean to." He rubbed a soothing circle on my back.

"I know. You have to trust that it will all work out." I felt the dark feeling in my chest.

"Yeah. It's always just works out. Everything in my life has gone peachy." He gave a humorless chuckle.

"Yeah. It's been peaches and cream with a cherry on top."

"We're some real pieces of work." He smirked at me.

"Yeah, but you're a masterpiece." I bit my lip from the compliment.

"Yeah right. Probably the one that everyone looks at and doesn't get."

"Those are the best. Very few understand their true beauty." I blushed and held back a laugh.

"What are you an art student now too?" He smiled now too.

"No. I don't know anything about art. Except I know what looks good to me."

There were more voices down the hall now. I knew we needed to get up and hit the road. It was a long drive after all.

"We need to pack." He smirked at me.

"I'm already packed." I groaned in frustration.

"How are you already packed?"

"We were only here for three nights. I never really unpacked." I got out of bed looking at my strewn out clothes and his neat and tidy corner.

"I loath your organized nature."

"You can hate it all you want, but I get to go stuff my face with breakfast while you're in here." I crossed my arms pouting.

"At least save me something?" He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Maybe if you ask nicely." I saw the spark in his eyes and I leapt at the invitation. I felt his smile against my lips as I fumbled my hands through his hair. He pulled back smirking.

"Okay, I guess I'll save you an apple."

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"Okay, how about we stop and eat once we get to Georgia?" The guys were finishing loading up their cars.

"Yeah that sounds fine." Bex nodded her head a little nervously.

"Are you okay?" She took a deep breath.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just having to fly home tonight." Her voice trailed off a little at the end.

"And telling your parents that you want to move in with your boyfriend." Her eyes went wide.

"Yeah. I think they will freak out. They only just found out about him a week ago." Now my eyes widened.

"A week ago? Bex you have been dating for like three months."

"I know. I know. I was just nervous. It just seemed like fun until I told my parents. Now it's real and they will think I'm insane and say I'm moving too fast." She took another deep breath. "I should've just told them about him when we started dating." My stomach dropped. I knew it was true, whether she knew I was in the same situation or not. The least I could do was start with mom. I would tell her when I got home.

"Bex, let's go. We're all loaded up."

"Everything will be okay." She nodded and I saw a real smile.

"Okay. If we all get separated, we'll meet in Georgia for food." Nick started honking.

"Yes. You better get going before Nick takes off with Grant without you." Nick was closing the door and revved his engine. Bex's eyes went wide and took off running towards the open door. As soon as she got into the truck, Nick took off before she could even shut the door. Jonas shook his head at Nick and leaned on his door.

"Lucas, let's go! Nick's already half way to Georgia by now." Lucas held up his finger and continued talking on the phone. Jonas looked in Zach's direction.

"You guys better get started. There might be some rain coming and it might be a while before Lucas is off the phone." Zach held out the helmet for me to take and swung his leg over the motorcycle.

"Well meet you in Georgia."

"Yeah, if we ever leave this place." David rolled his eyes. "Lucas let's go! You'll be even closer to her once we get out of here!"

"Who 'her'?" I saw a smug smile on Zach's face.

"Lucas started talking to his ex a lot this week. They're giving it another shot. There was a dramatic phone call and he drove out to see her the night before we left."

"Ooh sounds scandalous." He looked over his shoulder at me.

"I know something a little more scandalous." He kissed my cheek quickly leaving them a pink color. I saw the smirk on his face as he turned back around.

"Jonas is right though. We need to head home, those clouds look a little dark."

I hoped that wasn't a forecast for my days ahead.

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"Zach, they could be right behind us." He had a hold of my hand and led me through the crowded restaurant.

"We weaved through that traffic and passed by them fifteen miles ago."

"You don't know that they aren't right behind us." He smirked at me.

"I guess we'll have to make it fast then." We were still in the hallway towards the bathroom when he stopped me and pressed me against the wall.

"Zach. This isn't a good idea." He had a teasing look in his eyes.

"Would you rather makeout in the men's room?" I peered down the hallway. The restaurant was so loud, we would never hear anyone coming.

"It's risky."

"Is it a worthy risk?" His breath tickled my neck as he leaned forward and I felt my knees go weak. I grabbed his face in my hands and he responded eagerly. I felt my damp shirt start to stick to me and he pressed me closer to him. The brief rain shower still soaked through our clothes and I wanted to peel them off.

The bathroom door slammed shut and I jumped back. We both turned to look at the spectator, but they were more concerned with getting out of the hallway than watching our PDA.

"We better go order some food and wait for the others." He pushed back from me and I already missed his warmth. Without him, my damp clothes chilled me to the core.

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It was already six o'clock when we made it back to campus. My legs weren't as sore this time but I still didn't want to get off.

"Come on Gallagher Girl. You're going to freeze out here." He grabbed the backs of my thighs and I held on around his neck. My skin was still tingling from the wind whipping against it and the cold made everything numb.

Everyone was already unloading the cars when we approached them. Bex was leaning into Grant and Nick kept checking his phone. We all stood in a circle staring at each other.

"So what now?" Nick looked around impatiently.

"I'm grabbing the rest of my stuff and I'm driving out to see Annie before we go home."

"Bex, we need to drive to Roseville tonight." She slumped against Grant. I felt Zach's grip tighten on my legs and his shoulders tensed.

"Yeah I know." She looked up at Grant. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning. I don't want to drive another ten hours tonight." She nodded solemnly. "I'll walk you back to pack."

Lucas and David tried to joke around on the walk back, but there was still that feeling in the air. We wouldn't be seeing each other for three weeks. Sure that sounds like a short time, but we saw each other almost every day. We created a little family and that's always a hard thing to say goodbye to. We reached the landing before the stairs. The guys would all be going up, well except Grant.

"I guess we'll see you all in three weeks." Lucas smirked at me.

"Three weeks without Camster. What kind of trouble am I going to get into?"

"Hopefully I've been a good enough influence on you. Besides, I think you have another guardian angel waiting for you." He took one of my hands that was still wrapped around Zach's neck and kissed it.

"But you're the best of the best. Be careful driving home." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay mom. Do you want me to call you when I make it?"

"Don't use that sass with me young lady. Is it a crime to worry about a friend's well being?"

"I'll text everyone in the group chat." He clutched his heart.

"Ouch. I can't even get a private message."

"Cammie, you guys better leave in the next twenty minutes or you're going to get stuck in traffic." I heard Bex snort.

"Geeze Jonas, you sound like Liz." I saw his cheeks tinge pink and I shared a smile with Bex.

"Okay Duchess. Time to get packing." She nodded then looked at the rest of our friends gave their goodbyes. Grant took her hand in his and they walked towards our hall. Zach took us close behind them.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking you to your room to help you pack."

"You aren't going up to your room?" He looked over his shoulder at me.

"Well without Macey there to pack for you, I thought you might need some help." I swatted his chest as he laughed. He set me down on the ground when we reached my door. I saw Bex inside our room making sure everything was packed and grabbing a few extra sweaters, tearfully. She looked at me and I saw she was fighting the tears.

"Whenever you're ready." My heart broke for her. This would be the longest she has been without Grant and there wouldn't even be the option of visiting in the middle of break.

"Why don't you two go make sure you're checked in for your flight tomorrow. I'll still be about fifteen minutes to pack." Grant smiled gratefully at me and led her out of the room. Zach got my big suitcase out from under my bed and I started putting clothes in there. We were working alongside each other silently, but there was something I needed to know.

"Where will you be going?"

"I'm staying with Grant through Christmas, then going to visit Jonas and then Joe said he wanted to see me during break." I froze with my Christmas sweater in my hands.

"You're going to see Joe?" He shrugged.

"Yeah. I don't know for how long. It usually doesn't last long, but I thought I would give it a chance."

"That's great Zach." He had the faintest smile on his face.

"It's really more for me. I can't stay with Grant's family forever. There's only so much I can take before they drive me crazy." I heard a muffled sob from the living room and my heart dropped.

"You'll look after Grant while you're there?"

"I'll make sure he doesn't sulk too long." My suitcase was full and it felt a lot heavier as I tried to zip it up. He picked it up for me and a silence stretched between us.

"What about you? Will you be sulking?" His hand found my waist and he pulled me closer.

"Everyday." I rested my head on his chest and his arms went around me. I felt a lump in my throat. I looked up at him and he wasn't smiling anymore.

"This is crazy. We just got together."

"Yeah, but we've been best friends for months."

"Who am I going to get pancakes with?"

"Is that all I'm good for? Pancakes?" I smirked and stood on my toes to kiss him lightly.

"Maybe a little more." He kissed me again, slower this time. It was different than most of our kisses and I didn't want it to stop. He broke the kiss and pulled me to his chest.

"You're going to call me over break right?" His voiced sounded a little weaker than normal.

"Of course." There was a pause but I knew there was something bothering him.

"Should I be worried?" I looked up at him but he wouldn't meet my eyes.

"About what?"

"Jimmy." His voice had a small growl to it and I couldn't fight the smile.

"Is Zachary Goode jealous?" He still wouldn't look at me.

"No." I grabbed his face and made him look at me.

"Zach. You have nothing to worry about." The corners of his mouth tugged into a smile and I kissed his cheek.

"It's time for me to go." He took a deep breath.

"I know." He picked up my suitcase and gave me one last kiss before heading towards my car. I still saw tears running down Bex's face and Grant was trying to be strong. He saw me walking toward the door and gave a subtle nod.

"Come on babe. It's time to go." She clutched his shirt tighter. "Bex, you're going to have so much fun seeing your parents. They've missed you. I'll be here when you get back." She nodded in his chest and picked up her small bag while Grant grabbed her suitcase. She was silent as we walked to the car. I made small talk and joked around with Zach and Grant to ease the tension. Bex gave Grant one last embrace at the car and Zach leaned down to my window. He looked over at Bex warily.

"She's going to be alright." He nodded and then looked deeply at me.

"I'll see you in a few weeks." I forced myself to laugh.

"Don't forget to run while you're on break. You start soccer season in a couple of weeks."

"It won't be the same without you." He quickly kissed me on the cheek and straightened up. Bex opened the door and settled into the seat. Grant stood next to Zach and they both had the same look on their face. Trying to smile but you could tell it wasn't sincere. I gave them one parting wave and watched them in the rearview mirror as we drove away.

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It was almost nine when we pulled up to Gallagher. Bex had since cheered up thinking of seeing her parents again and her eyes widened when we drove through the gates.

"You live here?"

"Well my mom is the headmistress so she lives here year round." She still looked at the school in awe as we made our way into the foyer. At the top of the stairs I saw my mom rushing down and wrapped me in a hug.

"Oh kiddo, I'm so glad you're here!" She smoothed my hair and look at me, her eyebrows furrowed together.

"What's wrong?" I shook my head.

"Nothing mom. Just a little tired. We've been driving for so long." Bex extended her hand toward my mom.

"Hi. I'm Bex. Thank you so much for letting me stay the night and helping me find flights." My mom ignored her hand and hugged her too.

"It's not a problem dear. You're welcome anytime." All the excitement slowly drained from her face.

"Well you girls look tired. Cammie, I made up your room for you and Bex. Make sure to get some rest, you have an early morning tomorrow."

We lugged our bags upstairs and Bex's eyes were drooping by the second. She barely kept her eyes open as she brushed her teeth. I dug through my suitcase to find my pajamas. I froze when I saw Zach's shirt in there and pulled it to my chest. I grabbed my phone and sent a text.

 _It looks like your shirt got mixed up with my clothes again._

 **Damn I just can't keep track of that thing**

I smiled to myself.

 _You sure you didn't sneak it into my bag_

 **And why would I do that? So you can see it and remember me? Doesn't sound like me at all**

Bex came out of the bathroom yawning. I took her place and slipped the shirt on. It still smelled like him and that made my heart jump. I went through my routine of getting ready for bed. When I emerged, Bex was already asleep with her phone in her hands. I snuggled into my familiar bed, but it didn't feel as comforting as it used to. The sheets weren't mine and they felt too new to be comfortable yet. Looking around the room, all my pictures were gone. They were all at Georgetown now, along with the rest of the things that felt like home.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Thank god for fair days. Love this three day weekend so I cranked out a chapter today! Also Ally Carter posted the first chapter of 'Not if I Save You First' and I'm already loving it! So many good announcements from her this month! So since they're on break, the next chapters might not have a lot of Zammie, minus cute texts and all. Enjoy!**

Chapter 32

"Bex." I nudged her shoulder. "Wakey wakey Duchess. Time to go home and see the queen." She groaned and pulled the sheets over her head.

"No. It's four in the bloody morning."

"And your flight is in an hour and a half. We still have to get to the airport." Her eyes still looked sleepy but there was a mischievous gleam in them.

"So if I don't get up and miss my flight I can stay here?" I gave her a pointed look.

"Sure. Just make sure to make that call to your parents that you haven't seen in four months that you won't be coming home." She swung her legs out of bed and stretched.

"Why did I get a flight so early in the morning?"

"Because Lizzie said with the time change you wouldn't have jet lag." She groaned and threw her hair into a high ponytail.

"I'll be ready in five minutes."

I walked down the hall to my mom's office. The lights were on and when I went in she was already bright and cheery.

"Hey kiddo. Is Bex almost ready?"

"Yeah. She's just getting ready." I smelled the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee and followed the scent to the corner. I grinned and took one of my mother's mugs she stored in the cabinet and filled it up. As I sipped it I caught sight of my mother's glance.

"What?"

"Nothing kiddo. I just didn't realize you started drinking coffee."

"It kind of keeps me alive at college." Her eyes were a little sad, like I had lost a little bit more of my childhood. Considering my childhood it's a miracle I wasn't hooked on this stuff years ago.

A few minutes later I heard Bex's luggage rolling down the hallway. She still looked half asleep, but at least she was dressed for her flight. We took her luggage and ushered her to the car. When she got inside she leaned against the window, her breath fogging the pane.

"Well Rebecca, I wish you could stay longer, but I'm sure you're dying to see your parents."

"Yes ma'am." Her voice was small and I knew she wasn't much of a morning person. She would probably be asleep by the time we got to the airport. Sure enough shortly after reaching the highway, her breathing evened out and I glanced to see her eyes were shut.

"How is she handling being apart from her parents?" I stifled a laugh.

"Oh she's not too concerned being away from her parents. Grant makes that easier." A knowing smile crossed her face.

"Ah. So the question should be how is she doing being away from Grant?" I thought about her tearful goodbye and the promises to call every day.

"It could be worse. Yesterday was hard for her." She looked at me from the corner of her eye.

"And how about for you?" Could she see right through me?

"It was fine. Kind of weird leaving all of your friends for about a month."

"They seem like nice boys."

"They are." I soon got a text from Zach.

 _Can you tell Bex to wake up? Grant wants to keep talking to her._

I turned around and shook Bex awake.

"Hey your Prince Charming wants to talk to you before you get on the plane."

She yawned and looked at her phone. I saw the list of unread messages.

 **She's awake.**

 _Now I am too_

 **You could get your run in now**

 _Orrrrr I could talk to a pretty girl that I'm already missing_ I smiled down at my phone.

 **Already? It's only been 12 hours**

 _But that was one midnight snack. I couldn't go out and get a milkshake by myself_

 **Maybe you'll actually be in shape when you get back**

 _Yeah right. I already heard Grant's mom planning the dinner for when we get there._

 **Guess you do need to start running now. I'm going back to sleep once we drop Bex off.**

 _Sweet dreams. We're going to leave soon. 10 hour drive :(_

My chest constricted a little. Georgetown was only a couple of hours away, but Maine. That was ten hours. I hear Bex sniffle in the back and I totally knew the feeling.

"Bex you'll be okay honey." My mom glanced in the rearview mirror at Bex.

"Matt spent three months away from me." I saw Bex perk up in the back. Even I opened my ears a little more. I had never heard this story.

"How did you handle it?"

"Well we had been dating about a year and I had to go with my sister for the summer. She had just graduated from the Air Force Academy and she wanted to celebrate. Of course my parents didn't trust her by herself and made me accompany her on her trip through Europe."

"Wait so you didn't even want to go on that European trip?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well it was an adventure, but that time away from him was terrible. We were both horribly jealous and it caused a lot of fights."

"How did you get through it?" I saw my mother smile.

"Even when we were fighting he told me he loved me every night. Eventually we let put our jealousy aside and then I was home. It was better than ever."

"And you were away for three months?"

"Yes. And shortly after I got back we were engaged." She was grinning then her face dropped. "Not that I'm telling you to get engaged! You're only 19! But I'm just trying to tell you that things will be okay. You'll be back before you know it."

"Thank you Mrs. Morgan."

When we got to the airport, Bex's spirits were lifted more. It was a bittersweet moment as she gathered her luggage.

"Let me know when you land." She hugged me tightly and she was misty eyed when she pulled away.

"I'm going to miss you, Flash." My eyes started to sting.

"Go. You're going to miss your flight."

"I'll skype you!"

"Of course. We'll have a conference with Liz and Macey."

"Okay. Love you! See you on the 8th ! "January 8th. That was 20 days away. As I sat in the front seat I began to wonder what could happen in those 20 days.

"So kiddo, I thought we could do a little Christmas shopping today." It was a week until Christmas and the malls would be packed. Just the thought of finding a parking spot drained me.

"I don't know mom. I'm kind of tired."

"Oh." I saw her shoulders slump and my chest tightened again.

"Could we set up the tree today?" Sure Gallagher always had a huge tree set up in the foyer, but we always had a smaller tree just for us. She smiled again and stroked my hair.

"Of course. I'll make some hot chocolate." The fireplaces were burning and warming the hallways. The warm feeling started sinking in and if I closed my eyes I could almost pretend I was on the beach in Miami.

"What's got you so smiley?" Mom was looking at me questioningly with the hot chocolate in her hands.

"Nothing really." She glanced at me as I sipped the hot chocolate.

"Okay kiddo. You ready to decorate the tree?" I heard the tone in her voice and the little smirk that played on her lips. She wasn't going to make me talk this way.

We strung the lights and garland. Our little tree was looking pretty good but we always added all the ornaments we collected over the years. My tinkerbell always went near the front of the tree, mom's clothespin Rudolph always sat next to the jolly Santa and dad's Yoda sat near the top. The special ones always had their own place, and the not so special scattered around.

"Aw Cammie. Remember this one?" I grimaced at the homemade ornament from when I was four. We took our pictures for the ornaments during the Christmas party and I had chocolate smeared all on my face.

"No! Mom that one doesn't go on the tree!" She gripped it protectively.

"Of course it does! Look at that face."

"Fine. But it goes in the back." She gently placed it on the side, close to the back but still visible. This went on for the next two homemade ornaments. Each one was worse than the last, from my missing teeth, to my static hair. This is how it went every year. I bargained which ones could go on the tree and they always ended up on the tree by Christmas anyway. We always went through each ornament, one by one until we were satisfied with the way it looked.

"I think it's one of our bests." Mom sat next to me on the couch admiring our handy work. It really was. The glass ornaments reflected the lights just right and the lights gave a look of utter wonderlandness. I let the music fill our silence as we stared at the tree. It was a moment of peace, until mom sighed.

"Well, I guess we should put the angel on."

The words were heavy as we both looked at the angel on the counter.

 _Six years earlier_

 _The fireplace crackled, but it felt cold in the room. The lights were strung but they lacked the luster that they usually provide. I saw mom clutching an ornament like her life depended on it._

 _"Mom?" She shut her eyes and I saw the tear fall down. I took the ornament from her hand and examined it. A glass heart shaped ornament with an inscription._

 _'Our first Christmas'_

 _I placed the ornament delicately on a branch. It couldn't afford another break._

 _We didn't laugh at my silly handmade ornaments. I allowed mom to put the frizzy haired one on the tree without any resistance. It was the same task of decorating the tree, but it felt off._

 _This day always made me happy. Mom would string the lights I would put on the popcorn garland and dad would sneak some off of the garland when mom wasn't looking.. We would place all of our wrapped presents under the tree and I would try to guess what they were. We would listen to Christmas music and dad would make mom dance when 'Baby, it's cold outside' played. We didn't listen to music this year. We didn't have dad this year._

 _It was our first year without dad and I had a feeling Christmas wouldn't be the same. I could have guessed that just from the way Thanksgiving went. Family came over, but it still had the feeling of grieving. I was getting accustomed to the silence that coursed through our townhouse. It was unbearable and I wished there was a way to escape it._

 _The memories followed everywhere and we were drowning in them as we hung each ornament. I swallowed the lump in my throat and sat next to mom on the ground._

 _"It looks good, mom." She nodded silently at the tree._

 _"It's missing the angel." The angel peaked its face from the box. She was singing and I imagined it was a sad hymn._

 _"We're not tall enough." Mom wrapped her arms around me and I burred my face in her shoulder. Our tears fell silently. We didn't just need a ladder. We needed so much more._

We didn't put the angel on the tree that year. After that we moved to Gallagher and started getting shorter trees for mom's office. It was difficult at first. I didn't feel like it was my place to put the angel on top but mom insisted.

We didn't debate anymore about if it should go on the tree. We didn't debate about who put it on. I just picked it up and raised her to the top.

We observed our handiwork and I saw the ornament that my mom treasured above all else. It was still in pristine condition and I envied it.

"Mom."

"Yeah kiddo?" I felt nervous thinking about what I was about to say. I glanced at the gleaming heart and it was like a talisman giving me strength.

"I'm seeing someone." I blurted it out and closed my eyes. It was quiet and I was scared to open my eyes. She looked so hurt the last time I told her.

"How long?" Her voice held little emotion.

"Like two days." I felt her hug me tightly.

"Oh Cammie this is great!" I finally opened my eyes and saw she was beaming.

"It is?"

"Of course it is!"

"I thought you would be mad. Like last time." She stiffened a little at the memory.

"Kiddo I wasn't upset because you were dating someone. I was upset because you hid it from me."

"I'm sorry mom." She waved her hand in the air.

"It's in the past Cammie. I'm happy for you now." She hugged me again and then pushed me back to arms length. "Who is it?" I blushed and smiled.

"Zach." She grinned at me coyly.

"Oh really?" She arched an eyebrow. "The Zach that is just a friend?" I turned another shade of red.

"Well not anymore." She sat down on the couch, tucking her feet under her.

"Tell me."

 **And so she finally told someone!**

 **Latest Guest: Today! Lol I don't have a real set schedule, it's more of when I can between work and social life stuff. I kind of wrote this one in a day because I was off of school today. I don't know, eventually they probably will. Yeah Zach definitely is. This is his first girlfriend afterall. Cammie is a bit more experienced (which is usually opposite of the norm).**

 **Luckyme22: Yes! I've met her twice and I'm always still starstruck! I also love Macey's attitude. I have Cammie looks, but I feel like I could pull off Macey's attitude. But by the time this movie actually comes out I'll probably have a better chance at Abby :P**

 **FlutteryFangirl: No sadness! Sadness is not good! (I say this while I sprinkle more sad memory backstories into the mix) Trust me, it's more bittersweet than anything. It's just a weird feeling leaving people that you see every day for like three weeks. Yes Lucas is back with his ex! Let's hope that works out!**

 **Colleen: I know! It sounds ridiculous but that leaving for even a week is like unbearable. It's the weirdest feeling hugging your roommate bye for semester breaks. Also it's really weird going home and I want to try to convey that without making Cam sound snobby.**

 **Eternallyweird: Yes! It's really bittersweet but we all know it gets better when you reunite. Things will be happening over break. All good.**

 **4EverAGallagherGirl: Thank you! You're too sweet!**

 **CammieAMorgan: You're such a rockstar! Thanks so much for all the support!**

 **BritishBombshell007: Thank you! Trust me, you're not the only one that gets emotionally attached to stories!**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: I am so sorry it has taken so long to update! I started writing this chapter like two weeks ago and I just haven't had the time (minus a few minutes each day) to add on to it. But I finally did and I'm sorry if it sounds like a frankenstein chapter. That can happen when a paragraph is added each day. So thank you for being patient and sticking around. Totally wouldn't blame you if you didn't, but if it helps, I'm already starting the next chapter. This week should be a lot less busy so I should (emphasis on the should) have more time during the week. Thank you again for sticking around!**

Chapter 33

I felt the lump growing in my throat. My stomach was flipping around and my face was heating up. I was never one to really gush about a boy and there are things you tell your friends and not your mother. I figured I could use this as a trial run before we tell our friends.

"Well I guess we officially got together in Miami. On his birthday we went out to celebrate and he finally kissed me." She smiled and I couldn't fight the smile on my face either.

"That lead to a lot more kissing and I don't know. We didn't really put a label on it." She looked skeptical and the butterflies in my stomach multiplied.

"It was my decision. I didn't want to tell anyone yet. Not until we figured it out and thought it was real." She gave me the mom look.

"Cammie. You can't always hide these things."

"I know that mom. I just didn't want to say anything and then a week later we realize it's a mistake. Macey and Bex have been predicting this since day one and if I say anything and it doesn't work out…" Her eyes softened then.

"Cammie, you can't go into it thinking it's not going to work out. Some times you just have to take the chance."

I knew she was right. She often was, but she had to know my situation. I always had a wall up, and Zach was tearing it down. That terrified me.

"Ask yourself this, kiddo. Do you think it was a mistake?"

"Of course not."

"Okay. It's already been a few days so that means you wanted this to happen. You can't protect yourself from everything. You just have to give it your best shot."

That was something I was never good at. I wanted to know if it was going to work right then and there. If I didn't think it would, I didn't want to waste my time, but things seemed different now. I was still so uncertain, but I didn't want to stop either. Mom must have sensed my confused state.

"If it helps, he has my approval." My eyes widened in disbelief.

"You haven't even met him yet." She waved the detail away.

"Yeah, but Abby did. And you talk about him all the time. Really Cammie, everyone could see that you both liked each other." My cheeks heated up.

"He could be different than what you think. He let me drive his motorcycle!" I expected her jaw to drop but she just looked off dreamily.

"Oh yeah. I remember your dad's motorcycle. It was great." I blinked in disbelief.

"Dad had a motorcycle?" Mom had a mischievous smile.

"Oh yes. He never let me drive it and he sold it after we found out we were having you." It was weird having her offer up information freely. She was always so guarded when talking about dad and at this moment everything felt right.

"You're going to have to talk with him. Figure it all out and then tell your friends."

"What if we decide this is nothing?"

"Then you will be able to move on." She gave me a reassuring smile as if that was supposed to be good news. And it was supposed to be, but just the thought made my stomach twist. I didn't want it to be the end. I don't think I could move on and I hoped he felt the same.

00000000000000000

I knew we needed to have the talk, but I wanted to have it in person. So much goes unsaid over the phone and this was going to be an important conversation. So I waited, and when he texted me telling me that he made it to Grant's, I fought the urge to immediately call him.

My phone started buzzing. Apparently he didn't feel the same.

"Hey there."

"It's freezing up here." His voice was strained and I had a feeling he was still outside.

"Yeah. It's supposed to snow next week." I loved snow days and all, but that would mean if the snow hung around I would be driving home in the slush.

"I miss Miami already." His voice had a husky tone to it that made me shiver and burn.

"It was nice there." The silence stretched as I waited for his response. I was beginning to think we lost connection.

"I miss you." _I miss you too!_ My heart swelled but my brain yelled at me. _No Cammie. Now is not the time. Not until you have the talk in person._ So my brain forced me to let out a half laugh.

"It has only been one day. You can't miss me yet. He laughed.

"Funny. I told Grant the same thing."

"Oh yeah. How is he doing?" Bex told us in the group chat that she landed about an hour ago.

"Still sitting in his car talking on the phone right now. Which kind of sucks for me, since he has the key and his parents aren't home. Grant I'm fucking freezing! Lets go!" I contained my laughter.

"Oh I thought you Blackthorne Boys were immune to the cold. Golfing weather right?"

"Even I have my limits. And I'm ready to go in after driving down the highway when it's 20 degrees outside. Dammit Grant! Just give me the keys. You can keep talking when we get in the house!"

"Maybe you should try banging on the window."

"Not a bad idea. Oh… nevermind he's coming. I'll text you later?"

"It's up to you."

"I'll text you." He sounded more confident. It was a promise. "Well after my fingers regain feeling."

"Sure. Goodnight Zach."

"Goodnight Gallagher Girl."

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I had only been home for three days and I was bored out of my mind. We spent the whole day before doing a little shopping and we started our Hallmark Movie Marathon. It was noon and we were already three movies deep into the day.

"Well obviously she's going to leave her fiancé for this new guy." Mom passed the popcorn to me as I analyzed the scene.

"Of course. I saw that coming from the first time he took a phone call over talking to her parents. He was bound to get dumped on their rehearsal."

"And he invited this baker to the rehearsal. Rookie mistake."

The bride stared at the baker in the back of the wedding hall as the fiancé was trying to find the ring. It was a pretty hokey movie, and utterly predictable.

'I'm sorry. I can't do this.' She took off running down the aisle.

"Called it." The end of the movie was coming, but we already knew how it would end.

"Alright kiddo. I need to go check with Professor Buckingham."

"What's wrong with her?" Buckingham was one of our oldest professors that stayed at the school all year. She used to go back to England during breaks, but her trips became less and less frequent.

"She has been having some pain in her hip again. The doctor has her on a pretty intensive pain medication while we're on break."

"Okay. Can I get her anything?" She smiled softly at me as I just lifted a little weight off of her shoulders.

"Can you get some tea with honey for her? She usually likes some tea with her lunch."

"Of course." She gave one more smile before starting down the long hallway towards the teacher's quarters. Just as the kettle started boiling, mom rushed around her office briskly opening drawers. She flipped through a list of contacts before picking up the phone.

"Hi Mr. Abrams." I froze by the kettle listening to my mom's conversation.

"Oh yes. We're all good here. I was wondering if Patricia's medicine was in yet?" I let out the breath I was holding. This was strictly business.

"Perfect. I'll send Cammie to come get it." Wait a minute. When did Cammie agree to this? Cammie does not agree to go get it.

"I'm not going there." She sighed as she hung up the phone.

"Cammie, it's just to pick up a prescription." I crossed my arms. "Cameron. This is just one thing I'm asking you to do."

But it wasn't _just_ one thing. It was sending me to my ex's family business after the latest awkward exchange. I would have done anything else, but the look on her face told me this wasn't up for discussion.

"Okay. I'll do it." She smiled softly at me.

"Thanks kiddo. Oh wait!" She started digging in her purse for money. "While you're out, can you get me a mocha from the little coffee shop." She looked and slipped another dollar into my hand. "Buy yourself something too."

"Gee thanks mom. I might be able to buy a whole gumball or two." She shook her head and handed me another dollar.

"Don't be sarcastic with me Cameron Ann Morgan." I smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks mom. I'll be back soon."

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It was a cold day for sure. The clouds were too strong for any bright sunlight to peak through. If it was going to snow, it was definitely going to stick for a while. The weather was dreary, but the small downtown of Roseville was in high spirits. There were carolers on the corner, happy shoppers bustling in and out of the little shops and couples walking hand in hand under the twinkling lights that lined every street.

I was beginning to feel the warmth inside me that only comes from pure holiday bliss. It was nice being home in my small town where everyone smiled at each other. It was the kind of thing that never happens in a big city.

The warmth that was spreading over me started to fade when I saw the pharmacy doors. I tried to look inside, but the windows were too frosted to see much. I took a deep breath and pushed inside the little shop. With a quick glance around, it appeared that I was alone except for Mr. Abrams behind the counter.

"Hello Cammie. Come on over. I have Patricia's medicine all ready for you."

"Thank you Mr. Abrams." I hustled over to the counter as he was placing it in a paper bag. I took that time to look around the shop. Nothing had changed since I had last been in there. Well besides the Christmas cards and candy canes.

"I haven't seen you around lately. Where are you going to school?" I don't know why but that question irritated me. He even sent me a graduation card! At that time I took it as a sincere gesture, it was about a month after Josh and DeeDee went public. His mother gushed over Josh and DeeDee but she still told me I looked beautiful (not that I could have competed with a frilly pink gown). I thought they were still the best family I knew. That image started to shatter a little before me when I realized it was all for show.

"I'm at Georgetown." I saw a smile cross his face.

"Oh Georgetown! Beautiful place. Did you know DeeDee goes there?" I bit my lip and ground my teeth.

"Yes. I've seen her once or twice." Some of the most embarrassing experiences at college.

"Now that there is a busy girl. Always volunteering and helping with her sorority. I don't know how she has any time for Josh."

"Me either." He shook his head and chuckled.

"That's probably why Josh is transferring next semester." He handed me the prescription and I almost dropped it.

"He's doing what?"

"He's transferring to Georgetown for the Spring. I'll miss him helping out here but I wont' miss that gas bill. Every chance he gets he's borrowing the car to go up to New York or over to Georgetown." I wanted to throw the prescription at him. Well not him, but his son. His son who 'didn't think long distance is a good idea'. I might sound jealous but really I'm just bitter. I'm bitter about how he would barely lift a finger to see me and now he's driving all up the east coast to see his friends.

"Well that just sounds great." Sarcasm was rolling off my tongue but I forced a smile. "I should probably get going."

"Of course. And tell Patricia that she can sign up for our delivery service."

"Yes sir." He gave me a jolly smile and it hurt knowing that he is completely oblivious to my discomfort.

"Merry Christmas Cammie."

"You too Mr. Abrams."

I took one last look around the store that I swore I would never walk into again. I walked onto the street but I didn't feel the warm holiday spirit anymore, I felt cold and spiteful. I didn't want to. I wanted to get the past me, especially since he would be coming to Georgetown. Maybe coffee would help, after all there isn't much that mint mochas can't fix.


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Wow okay, so this chapter probably splits more into two chapters that I didn't even plan to write, but something about it spoke to me. And there's Abby time! Gotta love Abby time! And some Gallagher Macey/Cammie friendship. But you guys might hate me near the end of the chapter. Just keep going through it and I promise Zammie chapters will be coming up.**

Chapter 34

"Come on kiddo! We're going to be late for dinner!" I smoothed the skirt of my dress and buttoned up my coat.

"Why do we have to get so dressed up to see Aunt Abby?" Mom was fastening an earring as she looked at me in the mirror.

"Because Aunt Abby is bringing a special friend this year and she insisted that we eat at that fancy seafood place in Arlington." I got a cheeky smile.

"A special friend, huh? Is this the same special friend that she spent Thanksgiving with?" Mom tried to hide her smile.

"Well we should thank him for getting her to spend Christmas Eve with us."

"He's basically a superhero."

"Let's get going so we can meet Super Man."

The drive into Arlington seemed to take forever with the traffic. It seemed like everyone in the city was out doing last minute shopping or out for a Christmas dinner. Against all odds, we made it to the restaurant right on time. And within an instant I heard a lighthearted laugh echo through the restaurant. When I saw the source I had to smile. My aunt looked stunning as always in a long sleeve green dress that had a very low back, her hair in a simple loose braid that ran down her back. There was no doubt that Abigail Cameron was a beautiful woman, but her smile was the cherry on top. She had a smile that made men fall to their knees and it was directed at one man only.

"Abby!" My mom rushed to her sister and gave her a hug. I took that moment to size up the man that earned my aunts attention. He was standing and pulled out the chair for me. And let me tell you, I was glad he had the chair ready for me. I have seen some handsome men, I mean Zach definitely left me breathless every time I saw him, but this was a man. A beautiful Brazilian man. My jaw was probably on the floor and now I understood why the wives of the husbands that were checking out my aunt weren't bitching at them. They were too busy checking out her date. I made eye contact with my aunt and she gave me a smug smile. She sat in the seat next to her date and his arm just so casually draped along the back of her chair. They could've been on the cover of a magazine! I looked over at my mom and she set her eyes on the man.

"Well you must be Alejandro." She extended her hand across the table and he kissed her knuckles.

"And you must be Abby's sister. I've heard so much about you and your daughter." I blushed just being mentioned. Mom looked as giddy as she beamed at Alejandro and Abby.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Abby has done nothing but talk about you for the last month. I'm so glad you made it here for the holidays."

"I had to make sure to meet the most important people in Abigail's life." He smiled at her and kissed her cheek and I swear the whole restaurant sighed. The waitress looked envious as she stood at our table with the glasses of water.

We browsed over the menu, but I think time stood still when Abby reached for her water glass with her left hand and we saw a small glint of something shiny.

"Abigail is that…" She put down her glass and looked a little panicked. Alejandro just smiled next to her and pulled her closer.

"Abby! You're engaged?!" A smile finally crept onto her face as she stuck out her hand.

"I didn't want to say anything until after dinner." I inspected the ring on her finger. It was a classic princess cut with alternating emeralds and diamonds along the band. It was gorgeous and chic, basically the perfect ring for my aunt.

"It's perfect Aunt Abby." She smiled warmly at me.

"Thank you. I want both of you in my wedding."

"When will it be?" They both looked at each other and Abby finally nodded.

"We want to have it the first week in June. That way both of you are finished with school."

"That's perfect Abs. Where will it be?" Abby bit her lip and looked at Alejandro again. He cleared his throat.

"We took a while to decide this. I wanted to have it in Brazil, she wants it here. So we decided to compromise and have it somewhere we both have always loved. We're going to have it in Venice." My jaw dropped.

"Venice. As in Italy?"

"Yeah Squirt. We both love to travel and I think you will love it. I know your mom sure did." She sent a wink to mom and I heard her kick Abby under the table.

"That's amazing Abby, but I don't know if we can do that."

"Nonsense. You wouldn't miss your sister's wedding. Besides you need a vacation. Both of you." She pulled two plane tickets out of her purse and slid them across the table.

"Abby. This is too much." My mom's voice was warning her.

"I'm not taking no for an answer. Besides I get a discount with the Air Force. You're going to be there and if you really feel that badly, you can get me an amazing present." My mom accepted the tickets and smiled. I gripped my mom's hand and squeezed.

"We're going to Venice! And Abby is getting married!"

We spent the rest of dinner getting to know Alejandro and hearing the story of how he proposed. It wasn't a perfect fairytale relationship, but it was still perfect. He adored her and she was completely infatuated with him. Of course I knew that a month ago. I was happy for them. It gave me hope that something beautiful could happen even if things didn't start out perfectly like other relationships.

"I'm really happy for you Abby." She smiled as she took a bite of her chocolate cake.

"Well enough about me." She cocked her eyebrow and smirked. "Did you take my advice?" I instantly smiled.

"Something like that." Just when I thought she couldn't look happier.

"Cameron Ann Morgan! Is he your boyfriend?"

"I'm not sure yet. It just happened so we haven't really talked about it." She shared a look with Alejandro and he laughed.

"Do you think I waited to have that conversation? If I would have, it would have been forever before anything happened. No. When she came back a month ago I knew that I loved her and I just told her."

"Actually I don't think you ever decided we were dating. You just kind of spent a lot of time with me and then you proposed."

"Don't get any ideas," Mom butted in. "You're too young. But I do approve of him and can't wait to meet him."

"Oh he's great Rach. A total gentleman."

"You met him once." I fired at Abby. "And it was only for one minute!" She waved her hand at me and turned back to my mom.

"You should've seen the way he looked at her. And she was a real mess honestly. Messy hair and a tshirt. _His_ tshirt actually. But he still looked like she was the world." I still haven't seen that look from him, but watching the way Alejandro watched Abby talk, I had a feeling I wanted to be looked at that way.

"I can't wait to meet him!"

"But Rachel, you know you have to talk to him about the sleepovers." My face turned as red as the strawberry on the cake.

"Cameron Ann Morgan, have you been sleeping with him?"

"Not _sleeping_ with him. Just occasionally sleeping with him." Mom had that look of 'not good enough' for my explanation.

"The first time it wasn't on purpose. We just kind of fell asleep after Bex kicked me out of our room. And then the other times we were in different beds. Except in Miami…" Abby tried to stay stern faced and crossed her hands in front of her.

"Well Squirt. I think now is the time for the talk. You see when a boy and a girl-"

"Stop! I already know this and now is not the time." I made sure not to mention they were about a year too late for that talk.

"We're just kidding kiddo. Well mostly." They both kept looking at me with those soft eyes.

"Alright, can we go back to gushing about how beautiful Abby will be on her wedding day?" That got them back to talks of wedding plans and how they already have a planner in Venice.

I got lost in my thoughts of the last time I was given 'the talk'.

 _"Oh my god Cam! Josh won't be able to keep his hands off of you in that dress." Macey stepped out of the mirror and put her hands on my shoulders. I did look good. Form fitting gold long sleeved dress and black tights. It was pretty perfect for the New Year's party we were having at Macey's place._

 _"Yeah. That's the point." I saw concern cross her eyes from the mirror. "What?"_

 _"Nothing. It's just, are you sure you want that?" I bit my lip thinking about it. I had been dating Josh for four months now and he has never pushed anything. I was always the one trying to talk it to the next level._

 _"I think it's time." She sat on the bed and sighed._

 _"I know you think that's the next step, but I don't know Cam." I felt a flash of anger run through me._

 _"What do you mean you don't know? Shouldn't that be my decision?"_

 _"Yeah it should, but I want to make sure you're making that for the right reason. Not just because you have already done everything else and it's the next logical step." She stood up and crossed the room. Her eyes were icy, but soft. "And not because you're trying to convince yourself that he's the right one and that you feel something for him." She hit a cord and she knew it. She knew how insecure I felt after kissing him. How I desperately wished to feel something more than our lips pressed together. It's supposed to be fire and passion and I was sure that once we had sex it would be._

 _"I do feel something for him." I didn't want tears to fall right then so I resorted to anger. "I like Josh a lot. He's always there for me and I want this."_

 _"I know you like him, but that doesn't mean you have to do anything." I knew she was right, but on New Year's Eve I throw away my logic. I don't think rationally._

 _"That's rich coming from you." She took a deep breath and remained composed._

 _"That was one time and that's why I'm telling you this now. I know what it feels like to want to feel something, but that's not the way to do it."_

 _I just wanted to feel good and happy again. It had been a long time since I had felt 100% bliss and I thought with Josh I could. He did make me happy and he knew how to make me feel better. He was a perfectly normal boyfriend, and that's what I needed. Normal._

 _"Just keep that in mind tonight. And have fun Cams." I gave her a short laugh._

 _"Fun? We can't have fun until we get this place all set up." Macey picked up her clipboard and looked at the list. I blame her political roots for her obsessive planning down to the minute._

 _"The food won't be here for another 30 minutes and the DJ is coming in 45. We already have everything decorated and we are dressed. I would say we're ahead of schedule."_

 _About an hour later our first guests were arriving which was great for me, but not so great for Macey who was crawling on hand and knee looking for an outlet to plug in the hot plates. I ushered them in and showed them the set up and soon we had a party. Once Macey got everything set she grabbed a glass of the punch and looked around for me._

 _"Why did I think I could host a party?" She smiled at the guests passing by and took a long drink._

 _"Because you're the most popular girl at Gallagher and said you've been around parties your whole life and I quote, 'Throwing parties runs in my blood. I could do it blind folded'." She leveled me with a glare._

 _"Yeah well it does. And I could do this with my eyes closed, but I wanted it to be perfect."_

 _"And it is." I gestured to the dancing couples and the party goers mingling by the bar. She glanced at her watch._

 _"And I have just enough time to find me someone to kiss at midnight."_

 _"Well I'll let you know Jared hasn't kept his eyes off you all night." She looked over at Jared who was talking with some guys on the football team, but his eyes were on her._

 _"Good choice Cams." She took one more deep breath before looking at me. "Have fun Cams. But remember what we talked about." She thrust her drink into my hand and threw her hands up in the air swaying to the rhythm towards Jared. She grabbed his hand and pulled him on the dance floor and in an instant his hands were on her ass. Classy choice._

 _I scanned the party for any hint of Josh. I saw him come in to the party with Dylan and the lacrosse guys, but then I was off being the host while Macey was flustered. I heard cheers from the game room that sounded like a good place to look._

 _I saw Dylan and one of the guys on the lacrosse team on one side of the fooseball table pouting while Josh was hugging DeeDee on the other side. I froze in my tracks and felt like I got kicked in the gut. Josh was with DeeDee. Don't get me wrong, I liked DeeDee but there was something just inherently annoying about a girl that has been best friends with your boyfriend since birth. I'm okay with the having friends that are girls thing, but when that friend always seems to outdo you at every turn, it turns into loathing. So I finished off Macey's punch and had my first taste of alcohol. It was bitter, much like myself._

 _They finally broke away and he thrust his fist in the air in victory doing a little spin. He stopped when he saw me though and his smile grew._

 _"Cammie! There you are." He rushed to me giving me a big hug. He pulled back pressed a kiss to my lips. The guys started hollering and I noticed he flipped them off._

 _"You ready to go dance or something?" Or go anywhere else? He smiled and took my hand._

 _"Sorry guys, duty calls. And DeeDee," I saw the hope in her eyes and I hoped it was the alcohol in my stomach that made me want to throw up, "Good luck finding a better partner than me." The guys all laughed and he walked through the crowd outside of the game room._

 _"So where do you want to go?"_

 _"Do you want to dance?" He looked over at the crowd and I saw the frown on his face. "We don't have to. It was just a suggestion." He pulled me close and rested his hands on my waist._

 _"You know I don't really dance."_

 _"Yeah, I just thought maybe you would." He started swaying lightly with me and I smiled._

 _"Like this? Is this dancing?" I let out a small laugh._

 _"Well I guess that will do." I had to make him sway with me for a couple of songs and looking at the other couples all I could think was, this shouldn't be like this. I shouldn't have to make my boyfriend dance or pull him away from another girl. He must have sensed my frustration._

 _"What's wrong Cammie?" He stopped swaying and I avoided his eyes._

 _"Nothing. I just don't feel much like dancing anymore." He grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd again and out to the back patio. It was freezing outside and I just wanted a jacket or to go back in._

 _"What's bothering you Cammie?" He paced in front of me while I hugged my arms._

 _"I don't know. New Years Eve is supposed to be this magical night or something and it just hasn't been." He stopped and his eyes were wide._

 _"Is it something I've done?" I kept my mouth shut and looked into the sky for answers. Should I tell him how I hate DeeDee and start a fight? Or should I just pretend everything is okay?_

 _"This is my fault, isn't it?" His eyes looked sad now and I had sympathy for him. "What can I do to make it up?" I took both his hands in mine._

 _"We can go back inside and you can just be with me. That's all I want." He smiled at me._

 _"I can do that." I kissed him hard and fast on the lips._

 _I lead him to the fireplace and things were starting to get a little better. I tried to forget about all the reasons I was frustrated and just be there with him. Josh looked at his phone._

 _"We're one minute to midnight." I smiled and leaned in and he soon met me in the middle. It was soft but I wanted, I needed more. I needed to feel something so this night would be magical. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He hesitated before I felt his hand on the small of my back. I heard the cheers of everyone ringing in the new year but I didn't stop. I scooted over into his lap and he pulled back._

 _"Cam, we're in front of a lot of people." I saw the lust in his eyes though._

 _"Then lets go somewhere where there aren't a lot of people." He looked uncertain but I was already standing up and leading him towards a guest bedroom. I caught Macey's eye across the room and she gave me a sad smile. I saw her shake her head subtly but I turned away. I opened the door and propped myself up on the bed. He looked at me cautiously before sitting on the edge. I crawled over to him and threw my arms around his neck, pulling him down so we were side by side. He closed the distance between us and his hand was trailing up and down my thigh. I couldn't take it anymore and I flipped him so I was straddling him on top._

 _"Cammie stop." I groaned._

 _"What, we've been farther before."_

 _"Yeah but I see the look in your eyes. You aren't stopping there and I don't think we should."_

 _"Why not? What's so wrong with us having sex?" I know I sounded like a brat at that moment, but I had been acting like one all night. He took my hand and held it to his chest._

 _"I just don't think it's the right time."_

 _I rolled off of him and sat at the end of the bed. I felt his hand on my back again and I felt embarrassment seeping in._

 _"Did I tell you you look gorgeous tonight?" I tried to smile but it faltered._

 _"No you didn't." He wrapped both arms around me and kissed my cheek._

 _"Well you do. And I'm glad I'm here with you."_

 _0000000000000000_

The memory made me mad now. I'm glad he stopped me, but I'm angry with myself. I shouldn't have forced myself to stay when I didn't feel anything. I should've known that he never loved me. He only told me twice and it felt off. I didn't want to feel so bratty and helpless anymore. I wasn't the same girl anymore. Now I felt that fire and passion. So there was only one thing left that I needed to know. Could Zach love me someday?

 **So like I said, you might hate the flashback, or you might like it. Cammie saw the problems early on and now she wants to know if she will have those with Zach. Zammie is coming, I promise.**

 **4EverAGallagherGirl: Thank you! It's going to be interesting having Josh be at Georgetown and that might put a little strain on the relationship.**

 **Colleen: Breakups are tough girl. I know how hard it is to not feel bitter. You just have to trust that things happen and sometimes it's for the best. If it's meant to be they will come back, but you deserve to have moments to be bitter. You don't want to stay that way, but every girl deserves a while to be bitter.**

 **GryffindorQueen101: thank you! It's definitely going to be interesting!**

 **I know there's more of you but for some reason it's not popping up the more recent reviews. Thank you again to all of you!**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Sorry it has been so long! The past couple of weekends have been packed with so much activity that I have been writing this in little bits. I promise I haven't forgotten about this story, it's literally my baby. There will be some good chapters coming, and maybe a little time of writers block. I have a plan except for a few transition chapters. Also some have asked if I am ever doing a chapter from Zach's POV. Well after I'm finished I'm thinking of doing a few scenes from Zach's POV in a sequel. Let me know what you think! Thanks for sticking around!**

Chapter 35

There was a warmth in the silence that filled mom's office. As I got older, my Christmas list always shortened from things that could be bought. I still wasn't complaining with my new sweater and boots, but what I really wanted couldn't be bought in a store or controlled.

"Are you having a good Christmas?" I tore my eyes away from the fireplace.

"Yeah. It's always good." She sensed the words that I didn't say.

"I know kiddo. But there is always something missing."

"I'll always miss dad." She gave me a sad look.

"I do every day. But I don't think that's the only person you are missing."

She was right of course. I didn't get to talk to Zach much last night. Grant's family was big on an all night celebration on Christmas Eve with a holiday party. I would have been surprised if I heard from him at all but he still managed to send me commentary throughout the night. I fell asleep early but it was nice seeing that right at midnight he wished me a merry Christmas.

"I think I better call him." Mom smiled at me.

"Tell him Merry Christmas for me."

I gathered my things from the couch to drop it back into my room. The halls were quiet but every fireplace was crackling with a fire and emanating warmth. I dialed the number and waited for the ringing.

"Hey, Gallagher Girl." His voice was bright and cheerful.

"Merry Christmas, Blackthorne Boy." I heard his chuckle.

"Yeah, it's definitely Christmas here. Grant woke me up at the crack of dawn to sit in front of their tree and wait."

"Did you get anything?" I froze and realized I shouldn't have asked that question. Most of the time parents got their kids a few things, but they weren't his parents. Zach hadn't talked to his mother in years. I felt tense until I heard his voice again.

"Actually yeah. Grant's mom put a stocking up for me and filled it with some socks a sweater and candy."

"That's really sweet."

"I wasn't expecting anything but when Grant pulled me down the stairs and I saw the stocking with my name on it. I don't know, it was a good feeling."

Just the fact that he had trouble voicing the feeling of happiness and love from a parent made me sad. It was a testament for how long it has been since he felt that from a mom.

"Well anyway, how is your Christmas?" I had to think about how my day was going.

"Not too much out of the ordinary. Abby and Alejandro should be stopping by around lunch. I think Abby just wants to show off her ring to Buckingham, but I'm okay with it."

"Ah the Alejandro she was just friends with."

"Sounds like someone else I know." I didn't mean to open up that conversation but it was there hanging in the air. We didn't know what we were. Obviously we weren't just friends, but were we exclusive?

"And now they're getting married. If that isn't an inspiration to all those in the friendzone, I don't know what is." He kept it lighthearted but that still made my stomach flutter.

"What else are you doing today?"

"I'm heading out to stay with Joe for a night and then off to the dwelling of Jonas Anderson." His tone was pretty neutral, so I had no idea if he was excited or not. But really, how are you supposed to feel about going to see your mother's ex/fatherly figure that kind of left you on your own?

"Are you planning on seeing your mom?" He was silent for a whole five seconds before sighing.

"I don't know Cammie. Joe always wants me too, but she's not really my mom anymore." That thought made me sad.

"She might be getting better. You'll never know until you go talk to her." I heard him sigh again.

"Yeah I guess. I don't know. I'll think about it."

"I hope so. She's still alive, maybe not in the state you remember, but it is something." I heard the bitterness leaking into my tone.

"I know that Cam. It's just difficult to see someone act like that."

I knew our situations were different and I shouldn't compare them. There was no way I could ever relate to him and he couldn't relate to my situation.

"I'm sorry Zach. It's up to you, I just hope you at least consider it."

"I'll think about it." He took a deep breath, "I miss you."

My phone beeped and I saw an incoming call from Macey.

"Oh shoot. Macey's calling."

"Alright. Merry Christmas Gallagher Girl."

"Merry Christmas. And Zach, I miss you too." I ended the call before he could respond and felt my hand shake. Why was I such a coward sometimes. I pushed the thought out of my head and as soon as I picked up Macey's voice filled the line.

"Ho Ho Ho. Merry Christmas. What are you doing New Year's Eve?"

"Man, don't you hate when people just rush through the holidays?" She groaned.

"You know a politician always looks two steps ahead. Now what are your plans for New Years?"

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it."

"Well we're going to throw an even better party. So cancel your plans for tomorrow we are meeting to get this party started." A bad feeling settled into my stomach.

"Another party? I don't know Macey, I didn't do too well with the last one."

"Well this year you won't have the boyfriend pressure. Besides, I'll make sure to invite lots of hot, single guys and I'll pick one out for you." I bit my lip. I didn't want her to pick one out for me. I wanted one but he is ten hours away.

"Don't worry about me. I'll see your tomorrow."

000000000000000

Nothing could have prepared me for Macey McHenry's plan for planning a party. Firstly, Macey McHenry does not just plan a party in the comforts of her own home, no she has to go out to a place to plan. And not just one place. No we started at the little quaint coffee shop that I went to a few days before and after she placed her order to go I knew we wouldn't be here long. She did sit at a table and pulled out her binder with a checklist on the front but once she asked where to get food from, we were off to that resteraunt. And then off to the supplier for only the best rental dancefloors. And then off to her resource for table settings. We were met with Danielle, asnooty sales woman that clearly doesn't like Macey, but bit her tongue when Macey asked for this seasons plates. Danielle's face scrunched up and she didn't even try to smile as she turned on her heel towards the stock room.

"Really Macey? This seasons plates? Is that even a thing?" Macey was still glaring in the direction Danielle went.

"Maybe not but Danielle has always been a bitch to me. Ever since my mom brought me here to plan for the Thanksgiving Gala. I told her brown, orange, red and green were so overdone and mom actually argreed with me."

"Don't you think this is a bit overboard for some drunk college kids? They woudn't care if we gave them red solo cups and Dixie plates." She rolled her eyes.

"McHenry's don't host a party with Dixie plates. It's all about appearances and if a few plates get broken, well that's even more fun when trying to return them."

Danielle came back with a cart of 'this season plates' and Macey picked a few up, mixing and matching the whole thing.

"I think this will do. What do you think Cam?" Her setting had the perfect mix of this is the party of the year and I'm a classy woman. They should name it the Macey.

"I like it." She gave Danielle a sugary smile and her voice changed to a mocking tone.

"I'll take 50 of these Danielle. Oh and make sure that you do get this Wimberly salad plate and not Middleton. You know that there is a difference and I would hate to have to tell my mother that this store has been slipping." I could see the self control it took for Danielle not to slap Macey.

"Yes Ms. McHenry."Macey walked out of the store holding herself up high. When we got out the door I saw the smirk on her face.

"She hates you." She shrugged.

"That will teach her not to be such a bitch to someone that is only five years younger than her. I had more taste in my pinky nail than she does in her whole body. Trying to give me those second rate dishes." I shook my head at her rant.

"Well where to now?" She looked down at her checklist and smiled as she looped her arm through mine.

"We need the perfect dress."

We walked a few doors down and when we entered the place was filled with dresses of all fabrics, lengths and colors. And a few associates carrying coffee cups and fruit filled water cups towards Macey.

"Hello Ms. McHenry. Here to find another dress? Maybe a big New Year's Eve party?" She smiled gratefully at the woman with the water and took the glass.

"You know me so well Iris. I couldn't pass up on hosting a party. It's a bit last minute but I trust that you will be able to find the perfect dress for me and Cammie." One of the associates pulled out a tape measure and were holding it along my arms and legs and finally around my waist. Iris looked oblivious to the measuring elves and smiled at me.

"Of course we can. You have such beautiful hair. I'm thinking something in a grey, or off white." Her face lit up when one of the measuring ladies showed her my measurement. "How would you feel about something red? I have a dress in your size that I think would look stunning on you." Macey's eyes went wide.

"From the CY Peppermint Kiss collection?" Iris smiled.

"That's the one. Don't you think it would look stunning on her?" Macey started pushing me towards a dressing room.

"I need to see that on you. Go put the robe on. Iris we need that dress ASAP." Iris waved a hand in the air and they all went scurrying towards the racks. I was pushed behind the curtain and put the robe on.

"Now what are you looking for Ms. McHenry? A little something sexy? Looking for that New Year's kiss?"

"Oh no. I have a boyfriend now. So something sexy enough for him but nothing too revealing. I'm going for classic this year." A few seconds later a dress was brought in and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. A dull shimmer in the red fabric and a corset back. I slipped it on but needed help lacing. I stepped out with the dress held against me and Macey's eyes were already wide and she was smiling.

"Turn." I did and I saw myself in the mirror as Macey started tightening the corset. The dress hit me mid thigh and was tight on all of my curves. The fabric swooped across the bodice effortlessly and there was a shiny applique on my left side holding the fabric back. Macey finished lacing and put her hands on my shoulder.

"You look so hot." I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I looked at the full picture. I guess I did look pretty good. Iris circled around me and did a little pulling before stepping back.

"What do you think, Cammie?" I was lost for words.

"I love the dress but… I don't know. I don't think I'm the right person to wear this." This dress was made for someone in the spotlight. That just wasn't me. I saw the disappointment on Macey's face.

"Cams, you know this dress is made for you. Look at you! It's elegant and sexy in a subtle way. You're gonna break a lot of hearts in this."

"I don't want to break a lot of hearts."

"Sorry Cams. You can't help that when all the guys will be drooling over you, begging to be the one to kiss you at midnight." I felt a flash of annoyance. I didn't want people begging to kiss me.

"Maybe I won't kiss any of them." She studied me in the mirror trying to read me.

"Why wouldn't you? It's for a night and it's a tradition." The thought of kissing anyone that wasn't Zach made my heartbreak.

"Unless there is one person you want to kiss." I winced and I saw her slow smile. "Cameron Ann Morgan are you seeing someone?" My heart stopped and I had to decide. Was I going to lie to her and suffer the consequences? Or would this be my time to come clean? I bit my lip and she looked deeply into my eyes waiting for me to say something.

"Yes."


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Alright, this might be my only other update this week. Lots of holiday decorating starts tomorrow. Thanks for all the support! I think you'll like this chapter (even without in person Zammie moments).**

Chapter 36

"Yes." Macey just stared at me with unreadable eyes.

"Well kind of. I'm not really sure. There was kissing." Her eyes widened and she started pacing like a wild animal.

"Oh my god! Cammie! How could you not tell me? When did this happen?"

"Um I guess a week ago." She froze and looked at me with wild eyes.

"Oh my god! It's one of the guys? How the hell did this happen? I can't believe this!" She paced again then stopped. "Which one?" I took off towards the dressing room again and closed the curtain on Macey.

"Cameron Ann Morgan! You get your ass out here right now! You are not going to get away from this!" I grabbed my phone and typed a quick message.

 _So we might have a small problem._

I waited for Zach's response but a hand had an iron grip on my ankle and I was sliding across the wood floor.

"Macey! Let me go!" She kept dragging me until I was in the middle of the room and she stood over me.

"Who is it?" Her were sharp as a knife.

"Fine it is one of the guys." My phone buzzed on the ground beside me and we both looked at it. In an instant we were both moving. I rolled towards it and there was a knee on my back.

"Ow! Macey!" She grunted as we both reached as far as we can.

"Good thing your dress is red. It will hide the blood that's about to be spilled." Her hand was closing in so I went for my last ditch effort. I stuck my tongue out and licked her elbow. Her hand had a hold of the phone but she made a disgusted face.

"Ew! Cameron!" I kept squirming under her weight and I saw her eyes scanning the screen.

"It's Zach?!" I tried to keep my cool.

"Why would you think that?" She gave me a disappointed look and flashed my phone at me.

"I don't know maybe the text, 'What? You miss me too much?" would make me think that." I stopped fighting and laid on the ground.

"Yes. It is Zach." There was still a fire in her eyes.

"I told you! I freaking told you that he liked you and you liked him! Why the hell didn't you tell me? Don't you trust me?" Her voice cracked at the end and I knew she was holding back tears. She was feeling neglected and I had to stop it.

"It's not anything you did. Of course I trust you but we haven't told anyone. Except my mom." She narrowed her gaze at me. "I promise that's the only person I've told."

She collapsed beside me and took a deep breath.

"Macey I didn't keep it from you to hurt you. We just… I just wasn't ready to tell anyone. I'm wasn't sure what it was and I wasn't ready to tell everyone if I didn't even know we had a relationship to tell." She looked at me, her eyes still an icy blue but they were starting to thaw.

"Then why are you telling me now?"

"Because I couldn't hide it anymore." Her eyes lit up and she smiled.

"So you are together?" My breath hitched in my throat and I wanted to cry. I wanted to know how he felt. I wanted to tell him that I thought we were worth the risk. At least that's how I think I feel.

"I'm still not really sure what we are." She squeezed my hand and gave me a sympathetic smile.

"He would be insane to pretend you were just friends." A broken laugh escaped my mouth and she squeezed my hand again.

"How about this, you help me choose a dress for this party, I extend an invite to Zachary and you can figure it all out then."

"Thanks Mace but he's up in Maine." She gave me a look that told me it was a stupid reason.

"Well ask him anyway. And send him a picture of you in this dress to add an extra incentive." She winked at me and helped me off the ground.

"If he can't come, you at least get to show him what he's missing."

She dusted off my dress and Iris brought in a selection of dresses like two girls wrestling in the middle of the store was completely normal. She surveyed each and nodded. They headed towards the dressing room but she didn't follow.

"So tell me about this kiss."

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"So now we have caterers, dj, props, a dance floor and we have our dresses. I think the only thing left is the guest list." I shook my head and reached for some popcorn.

"That's not a problem. You just need to tell a few people of the ever exclusive McHenry New Year's Eve party and we'll have our guests." She put a checkmark on the list and picked up her phone.

"On it. Between me and Preston we'll have plenty of people." She put her phone down and focused back on the movie we were watching. But not for long.

"Have you told anyone else?" I paused from eating my popcorn.

"Nope. You're the first."

"Ooh. What is Bex going to say when she finds out?" I shuddered at the thought.

"Well I didn't want to tell anyone until we were all together. But I guess I'll have to tell her and Liz now."

"She'll probably be so pissed she'll fly here tonight." I cringed.

"Maybe I should wait just a little longer. Let her enjoy the rest of her holiday." She gave me a pointed glare.

"I'll tell them all after we've talked." I held my hand up in the air. "Scouts honor." She gave a decisive nod.

"Good. Have you asked him to the party yet?"

"Nope. Not yet." She had a sneaky look on her face. "What's got you looking like that?"

"Oh no reason." She smiled down at her phone. Wait. That was my phone!

"Macey!" She finished typing and then gave the phone back to me. I looked at her message she sent to Zach.

 _I have a gift for you. Come get it New Year's Eve._

I saw the picture below it and my jaw dropped.

"Macey! I would never talk like that!"

"Then he will know it wasn't you. I was just getting the ball rolling." I waited for the three little dots telling me he was replying but it didn't come.

"Oh this is not good. I have to call him."

"Oh no don't do that. That's not what I wanted at all." I flipped her off as I left the room.

 _Come on, pick up!_

It kept ringing and each time my heart raced faster. I heard the other line pick up.

"Zach! I didn't mean to send that. That wasn't me that was Macey! Oh yeah, Macey knows now. So don't read the message, that wasn't me!" I was met with silence.

"Zach?" He coughed uncomfortably.

"Damn, I sure wish I was in Lillytown right now." I blushed and laughed.

"It's Roseville."

"Seriously Cam. You look amazing in that dress. I just want to be there right now." I felt my cheeks go flush.

"Well speaking of that, would you be able to be here for New Year's Eve?" I held my breath waiting for his answer.

"God Cam, you know I wish I could be." I released the breath I was holding. I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up and part of me knew he wouldn't be able to. I mean he was ten hours away!

"Yeah I was just checking. Macey wanted to make sure I asked."

"I want more than anything to be there. And see you in that red dress." Even on the phone he gave me shivers.

"I'm sure Jonas's family will be happy to see you."

"Yeah… they're going to have to wait one more day to see me."

"And why would they have to wait?" He sounded hesitant but it must have been good.

"I'm staying with Joe one more night before heading to Jonas's." I felt giddy for him. He hasn't even told me any details but I could tell he was happy.

"That's great Zach. I'm sure he's happy."

"Well he's happy to know I've met this great girl."

"So you've told him about me, huh." I heard his laugh fill the line.

"Well I wanted to tell someone and he was the best to tell. He's really happy."

"And are you really happy?"

"I'd be a hell of a lot happier if I could see you, but overall yeah I am." The pit in my stomach felt heavier.

"I'll see you when I get back to school. Then I'll tell you all about this party you missed."

"Don't go wandering up to a pool table filled with guys at this party." I gasped.

"Now when have I ever done that?" I forced a laugh.

"Seriously Gallagher Girl, have fun but be careful. You know how drunk guys can be."

"I'll be fine Zach. You know I can handle myself." He took a deep breath.

"I know, but a guy always gets nervous when his girl looks hot as hell and he isn't there to tell all those drooling idiots to get lost." The pit turned into butterflies.

"So I'm your girl?" He was quiet for a moment.

"I don't know. I kind of thought you could be." I bit my lip.

"What does that m-"

"Hey Gallagher Girl, Joe is calling. I'll talk to you later, okay." I groaned internally. What is that supposed to mean? Is he calling me his girlfriend? Is he waiting for me to say something? Why are boys so difficult?

Macey leaned on my door frame and crossed her arms.

"So is lover boy coming to the party or not?" I tried my best not to frown.

"No he's not. He's too far away and he's supposed to be staying with Jonas." She shrugged.

"It's his loss. I doubt that he would have as much fun with Jonas."

"It's fine Macey. I didn't think he would be able to anyway." I swallowed the feelings eating away at me and forced a laugh. "I'll be better off by myself for this party. Someone has to keep a watchful eye on you."

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The day of the party was freezing. I regretted getting the short strapless dress that I still felt like I couldn't pull off. The only saving grace was the pair of lace tights Macey had for me. She said it made me look even sexier but I just thought it stopped me from shivering.

The party was in full swing now. I saw some guys throwing a vase back and forth.

"Hey put that down!" One of the guys caught it and held it limply in his hand. His jaw was on the floor as I ripped it from his hand.

"Stop throwing breakables!" I handed him one of the plates Macey wanted to break instead. "Here."

"I uh… I uh… I uh…" I slapped him on the back of the head and he shook his head.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" He blurted it out and I slapped him on the back of the head again before walking away.

I was having about as much fun as I did the year before. Searching the party for one face. And then I found it. Well sort of, I guessed it was her face but it was fused with another. I pushed my way through the bodies and tapped Macey on the shoulder. She detached her lips from Preston's and looked at me irritated.

"What?"

"This party is getting out of hand. I already had to take three vases and clean up five spills." She gave me an easy grin and grabbed a drink from the counter behind her.

"Here, drink this and let loose." I grabbed the drink but held it in front of me.

"I'm fine. I don't need to let loose." Preston rested his head on top of Macey's.

"I think you do. Have a little fun. This is a party and I know you can have fun at parties." I shook my head and walked towards the empty fireplace. I checked my phone hoping to see a message from Zach. He hadn't really talked to me at all that day. I was starting to think he decided I wasn't going to be his girl.

"Fancy seeing you here." I didn't want to look up. I knew that voice, even if it was slightly slurred.

"What do you want, Josh?" He sat down next to me and his leg was close to mine.

"I don't know. You were sitting here all alone, looking sad. It kind of reminded me of last year." Last year. I wanted to punch him in the face. So much has changed since last year and I was mad.

"Yeah well this isn't last year. I'm not with you, you're with DeeDee and right now you're treating her a lot like you treated me." His face dropped and he gripped his beer bottle tighter.

"I'm sorry Cammie. I'm not a very good boyfriend right now. DeeDee is mad with me and I didn't know who else to talk to." He looked up at me and I could tell he was torn up. A lot more than I've ever seen him.

"And you think talking to me is going to make it any better?"

"Yes… no…. I don't know. I just remember I used to always be able to talk to you." His eyes looked clearer when he looked at me. That look used to give me butterflies, but now I was still bitter.

"Did we? I don't really remember us talking that much." He smiled and pressed his knee against mine.

"Yeah, I guess not." I scooted away out of his touch.

"Don't do this. You don't want to make that mistake. She will never forgive you, trust me." His eyes clouded over again and he took another swig of his beer.

"Maybe the real mistake happened a year ago." I shook my head.

"That wasn't a mistake. You're happy with DeeDee." He straightened up and looked off into the party. "So happy that you're actually transferring to Georgetown for her." That information was a loaded gun and I just pulled the trigger. He stiffened and cleared his throat.

"How did you know that?" I rolled my eyes and stood up to walk away.

"It's a small town Josh. Word travels pretty fast." He stood up too.

"Cammie."

"Don't follow me Josh. That would be a mistake."

I pushed through the party until I made it outside. I reached for my phone and dialed Zach's number. I just wanted to talk to him. Every ring I felt my chest tighten even more. By the time it went to voicemail I felt tears pricking behind my eyelids.

"Hey Zach. Um happy New Year. This party kind of sucks and I just wanted to talk to someone. So call me back or something. Bye." I took a deep breath. I had to go back to the house, I was freezing out here. But I waited one minute longer, hoping for a returned call. When it seemed it wasn't going to come I composed myself and turned right into someone tall and warm and smirking. His arms wrapped around my waist and he kissed my forehead while my mouth was still gaping open.

"Happy New Year, Gallagher Girl."

 **Shoutouts:**

 **Anna Banana: I know about time right? I love writing from Zach's POV and seeing how he thinks so I'm excited to do some of that**

 **Lylilunapotter: Yes it was a small nod towards book two. I love the thought of Cam in a red dress when she thinks she can't pull it off. And of course Macey had a small riot about it.**

 **4EverAGallagherGirl: I guess we'll have to see what happens at this party**

 **Cheerra12: I know I'm as big a Tabby shipper as the next, but I felt like with all the normal ships already in there it was time to mix it up. Yes I adore their relationship but Townsend really isn't in this one. The only mention is when Zach says he's a pilot in England and has another family. Love them together but not for this story. Check out my one shot series for some Tabby in the Valentine's chapter.**

 **Zammielover101: Thank you! Like I said, I'm a big Tabby shipper but not for this story. I don't know, I'm already including so many other unofficial relationships in this one I didn't want to over do it. (You won't be seeing any Joe and Rachel either in this one)**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Thank you for all the amazing reviews! Next chapter I'll get around to the shootouts but one in particular made my day today! IDEK thank you so much for that! This chapter has a minor Zammie and a lot of my favorite friendship. Honestly Macey and Cammie have a great friendship that really came out in the third book. So this is kind of a filler chapter but I felt it was necessary for some Macey growth. Enjoy!**

Chapter 37

I was still frozen in shock. Zach was here. In Roseville! I kept staring at him in awe until his hand went on my cheek and he frowned.

"What's wrong?" I remembered what was wrong. A lot of things seemed wrong before, but now I couldn't think of anything wrong. I buried my head in his chest hugging him tightly. I heard the vibrations from his laugh and his warm lips on the top of my head. I pulled back and met his lips with mine.

"You're here!" He smiled at looked down at me.

"And you're shaking." He was already shrugging off his coat and draping it on my shoulders but I was already feeling warmer.

"Why are you here? I thought you were in Maine?" He slung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me towards the door.

"Well it seems Jonas had prior plans down in Alabama that he forgot to mention." I slowed my pace to a stop.

"Alabama? How could he not tell you he was leaving for Alabama?" He took my hand and pulled me towards the door again.

"I asked him that too. He told me he already thought I would be down here so he made plans with Liz." I slammed to a halt just outside the door.

"Liz? My Liz?"

"Seems so. Come on inside. I'll tell you the whole story when you warm up." He ushered me the rest of the way inside and in front of the fireplace. The one I was just sitting at with a very different guy. I reluctantly sat down hoping I could replace those moments with better ones.

He was sitting in silence just looking at the party around him. I couldn't take how casual he was being after dumping a bomb of information on me. I scooted closer to him and smacked his chest. He flinched and looked at me.

"Liz and Jonas?" I cried.

"So Jonas likes Liz a lot. They've been talking since we introduced them but them being them both are too shy to actually make a move. She mentioned how she spends New Year's Eve with her parents and a lightbulb went off in his head to go down, surprise her and actually ask her to be his girlfriend." My jaw was on the ground. Jonas was driving all the way to Alabama just to make Liz his girlfriend. I felt my phone buzz and I saw Liz texted in the roommate message.

 _Guys you won't believe this! Jonas is here!_

"Looks like he just got there too."

"I guess we'll be hearing by the end of the night then." I was happy for them. They really were a perfect couple. I tried my hardest to be happy for them but a touch of envy entered my thoughts. Jonas traveled all that way for a girl he has barely seen just to make her his girlfriend. And here was Zach sitting here in front of me and we weren't really anything other than friends who kissed sometimes. That thought troubled me but that seemed to be a recurring thing when I was at this fireplace.

"Wait how did Jonas make it to Alabama the same time you made it here?" I saw a small blush on his cheeks and he avoided eye contact.

"Well, you see I made it to Roseville about two hours ago, but I didn't know the party was here. So I stopped by Gallagher and I found your mom instead." I covered my face with my hands and groaned.

"Oh no no no. That's not how I wanted you to meet her. What happened?" He had a timid smile.

"She's a lovely woman. Had a lot of questions. Well, her and Abby." I dropped my hands and my eyes felt like they were going to fall out of my head.

"Abby was there too?" He shook his head.

"Not physically. But after a few minutes your mom Facetimed her and they had a ball." Oh no. He's about to sprint out of here. Or tell me my family was too insane and this could never work. All I could think of doing was gripping his hand and begging him to forgive my mom and crazy aunt.

"I am so sorry. I hope they didn't scare you off. Oh my god I'm so sorry." He shut me up with a kiss and his hand rested on my back pulling me closer. I melted into the kiss and when he pulled back I was craving more.

"I'm still here." And I was glad he was.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Macey rushing towards me with Preston in tow.

"Cams! I need to talk to you!" She looked urgent and excited.

"Hey Macey." Zach stole her attention for a brief second. She looked at him and then us and a small smile crossed her face.

"Hi Zach. Glad you could make it." She snapped back to me. "Come on Cams." She dragged me away from Zach before stopping in front of Preston and kissing him lightly.

"You remember Zach. Go talk to him for a minute." She nudged him in Zach's direction and pulled me the opposite way. She didn't slow down when we heard a plate shattering, she just pulled me quickly into her room and shut the door.

"Zach's here?" She leaned against the door as to make sure no one would be barging in.

"Yeah. He drove down when Jonas said he was going to see Liz." She shook her head astounded.

"Liz and Jonas too? Love is in the air. Did you talk about what you are?" I bit my lip and looked away.

"Not yet. He just got here."

"Well tonight should be a good night for it. Start off the new year right." She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"So is that the only reason you dragged me away from the boy, who just drove ten hours and had to talk to my mother for two hours, on the fireplace?" She shook her head.

"So remember last year how I tried talking you out of sleeping with Josh and all?" How could I forget?

"Are you trying to tell me the same thing for Zach because honestly Macey that wasn't even on my mind."

"I wasn't talking about you but good to know that's on your mind. I was wondering what you would say to me on that situation with Preston." I had to look at her to figure out if she was serious. She still had that urgent and excited look in her eyes but it was mixed with a slight fidgeting.

"Macey are you asking if I think it would be okay if you slept with Preston?" She looked away sheepishly.

"Well I just want to know if it's a good idea. I mean we've been dating almost two months and I really like him. A lot. But I want to know if I'm being careless."

"Macey, you're a big girl now. I think you know if this is a good decision or not."

"You're right."

"If it helps, you aren't the careless teenager everyone thinks you are. You've grown up since last year. I think you know that." She cracked a smile and I saw her eyes getting misty.

"No, I'm not. This whole relationship thing is just so new to me and I don't know how to handle it. It's not like I've had a very good model." She tried to joke but it fell flat. She slid down the door and curled her knees to her chest. I sat right next to her.

"What's really bothering you?" She kept fiddling with her hands.

"I don't think I'm cut out for the whole love thing." A snort came out of my mouth.

"Macey how could you say that? You can't just decide the whole love thing isn't for you."

"It's not for me. I wouldn't know what love is if it slapped me in the face. For all I know love is just not arguing or not having to wonder if he's having an affair. It's holding his hand in public and throwing it away as soon as the doors are closed." She was shouting and the ice was breaking. "I don't know if anyone has ever loved me." The ice broke and a whole damn of tears was unleashed. I threw my arm around her shoulder and hugged her tightly.

"Don't say that. You have shit parents. Don't let them think that you can't be loved. I love you, Macey." She shook her head in my shoulder.

"That's not the same."

"And why not? You're my best friend and I care about your well being. I don't think my life would be the same without you being in it and I'm glad you are. And Liz and Bex feel the same way. We're your family that will always love you." The sobbing calmed and she was taking shuddered breaths.

"And I think Preston is head over heels for you."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. He adores you. I'm surprised he hasn't told you yet. It's obvious that he loves you and I think you love him too." She pulled away and gave a half smile.

"I won't be my parents."

"You don't have to be. That doesn't have to be a normal for you." I heard her sniffle and she wiped her eyes, effectively leaving a streak of black eyeliner across her temple. She leaned her head on my shoulder and took a deep calming breath.

"Are you gonna be okay?" She gave a broken laugh but I saw her smile.

"I have a boyfriend who probably loves me. My shit parents approve because that gives the Senator a link with Governer Winters. It could be worse.." I gave her hand a squeeze before climbing off the floor.

"You're Macey McHenry. You'll find your own way of being in a relationship that will outshine everyone else. Now I'm going to go back out there to Zach if you're okay."

"Yes. Go talk to him! Make a decision already."

"I've made my decision. I just hope he feels the same." I checked my makeup in the mirror to make sure there weren't any streaks of mascara. One last adjustment on my strapless dress to hoist it up and I felt ready for this conversation. I turned to Macey for a final vote of confidence.

"How do I look?" She looked me up and down, taking in every inch of fabric to look for imperfections.

"Like all the single girls out there will hate you. And some that are in a relationship." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm going to need you to stop dressing me if all girls are going to hate me."

"You'll get used to it. Now go get him. He would be stupid not to want you." I felt the confidence you can only get from your best friend radiating through me. I walked high in my heels toward the door.

"Oh Cams." I paused and look at Macey. "I love you."

"I love you too Macey." A peculiar look crossed her face.

"You know. You are the first person I think I really told that to. I wanted to make sure my first was someone that wouldn't leave."

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried." She didn't have any nervous fidgeting anymore. She sank into her cool and confident attitude, but I could see a happiness that wasn't there before.

"Happy New Year Macey."


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: Sorry for all this waiting, but this chapter will be worth it. I just had to get that Macey/Cam moment in there. It just seemed like the thing Cam needed to get her confidence up, and Macey definitely needed it. Enjoy this chapter! Hopefully a new one will be out in two weeks!**

Chapter 38

I walked through the door walking tall and confident, but now there were butterflies in my stomach and my palms were sweating. I felt the corner of my mouth start twitching as I tried to smile at Zach across the room. I probably looked like a rabid bunny, but he still smiled brightly at me. His smile made the butterflies grow tenfold and my knees were shaking in my high heels. It felt impossible to finish crossing the room over to him without falling. Luckily Zach was still on the fireplace so I could sit down.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just a little girl talk."

"Ah girl talk." He looked at me skeptically. "Anything about me?"

"Maybe a few things." He pressed his leg against mine and dipped his head so his hair fell just barely in front of his face. He was irresistible but I needed to talk first.

"Why did Jonas assume you would be down here?" He backed up a little but his leg was still firmly against mine.

"Well… he kind of already knows about us." Of course Jonas knew. He saw everything. Afterall he was the first person to tell me we had chemistry.

"How long?"

"Since Miami. He heard us making out on the couch." My face instantly heated up. I thought we were being sneaky but of course Jonas knew.

"Why didn't he say anything?" Zach shrugged.

"He didn't want to make us do something we didn't want to do yet." I felt like I just got punched in my gut. Was he saying he didn't want to do this?

"Zach we-"  
"Do you want to dance?" He flashed me a grin. "I'm sorry were you saying something?" I swallowed the bile climbing up my throat.

"No. Dancing sounds great right now." He grabbed my hand and led me out to the floor. Wasn't this what I had wanted all last year? A boy that wanted to dance with me and make me feel like I wasn't competing with anyone. Yet it still wasn't perfect because I couldn't get the nerves to talk. I guess if you don't make it official you can't get hurt.

Zach rested his hands on my waist and pulled me closer. The closer we got the less I thought. Every sway all I could think about was how happy I was to have him here. And when he spun me around I didn't have a single thought.

"Have I told you how gorgeous you are?" And that compliment pushed me over the edge. I started smiling deliriously.

"No you haven't."

"Are you sure? Because I think the first thing I would have done was compliment you on how amazing you look tonight." He looked down at me dress and gave me a little spin to take it all in. When he pulled me back in he was ready for small talk.

"How has your night been?"

"Much better now." His smile dropped a little into a thin line.

"And how was it going before I got here? You looked like you were crying."

"Oh… that." He stopped dancing, waiting for my explanation.

"It had just been a pretty rotten night and I missed you. Josh was about to ruin his relationship with DeeDee."

"Wait. How was he going to do that?"

"He was fighting with her and saw me and he's drunk right now." Zach's face hardened.

"Did he kiss you?"

"What? No. He tried coming on to me but I told him it would be a mistake. They're good together and he was going to flush it all away." He started dancing lightly with me but he scanned the party over my shoulder, looking for Josh. Then I got angry. I blame it on the week of no actual status of a relationship, but I wanted to snap.

"Are you jealous? Because I don't think you have a reason to be jealous." He shook his head confused.

"Of course I'm jealous. It's your ex boyfriend who has been drinking." Why does everything have to be so complicated when Josh came around?

"Do you think I would be that person that would ruin a relationship to be with a guy who I don't even like anymore?" I stopped dancing and made him look at me. "Don't you trust me?" She took a deep breath but his mouth twitched at the corner.

"I trust you Gallagher Girl, but I think I can still be jealous of the ex." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Why though? It's not like we have declared anything about this. I don't know what this even is. We never said if we could date other people or anything. And it's not like we've really tried to talk about it." His face dropped but he still had a hold of my hand.

"Come on." He pulled on my hand through the party.

"Zach where are we going?" He didn't say a word. He was strong and silent pulling me away from everyone at the party. He knocked on a door and when the coast was clear he opened it, pulling me inside after him. Only a lamp in the corner illuminated the room but I could clearly see the stone faced expression.

"You think I haven't made an attempt to do anything about us? Why do you think I just drove ten hours in the cold? Cammie it's already snowing but I'm crazy enough to drive through it to see you." His words hit me like a ton of bricks. They weren't exactly angry, but they were filled with a fire.

"Why would you do that?" He shook his head and gave a breathy laugh.

"You were the only person on my mind while I was away. Once Jonas said he was making a drive I didn't even think twice about staying there. I wanted to see you." There was a foot between us and I wanted to reach out to touch him. But something was still hanging in the air between us.

"What are we, Zach?" I could see him smile in the dim light from the room.

"You know it was funny talking with your mom. I think she would get along with Joe, they said a lot of the same things." Was he really talking about my mom right now?

"Seriously Zach. I want to know."

"I know." He gave me a smug smile before continuing. "See both asked me what we were. They wanted to know if we were seeing other people or if we were going on dates. They had a lot of questions but there was only one thing I knew. I told them I knew what I wanted, I was just waiting for you to decide." I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"What do you want?" He closed the distance between us and rested his forehead on mine.

"I want to have a reason to be jealous of your ex boyfriends." His lips were hovering over mine and I was hesitant to meet him. He leaned forward and stopped a centimeter from mine. I closed the distance swiftly and his hand burned on my arm as it moved to brace my neck. It wasn't sloppy but it certainly wasn't soft or slow. Our lips moved together frantically and every move only brought us closer together. My hand was tangled in his hair when he pulled away.

"Cammie, is that what you want? Do you want to be my girlfriend and go public about everything?" I couldn't nod fast enough.

"Yes. I'm ready." I'm sure my smile was just as wide as his in that moment. There was a cheer outside of the door and horns going off. It felt like the whole world was cheering for us in that moment, saying 'This is it Cammie. Don't mess it up'.

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"Give it up Cam. You're not going to win this one." Analyzing the situation he was right. He was ahead but I could still pull it off with some luck.

"Not a chance. I still have some tricks up my sleeve." I looked at my thimble on the board and rolled the dice.

"Two. Yeah, you're not going to win by doing that. You just landed on my hotel." I threw my monopoly money at him and he chuckled.

"Come on Gallagher Girl. It's just Monopoly, that's how the game is played." I leaned towards him batting my eyelashes.

"But don't you think you could give your girlfriend a little sympathy." He glanced at me and then shook his head.

"Nope. That's just not how it goes." I scooted over to his shoulder and got right next to him.

"Come on. I'll give you a kiss for $100." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

"I'm not going to make my girlfriend a prostitute. No monopo-money for you." I stuck my bottom lip out and pouted.

"How about a $50. That's hardly any real monopo-money. That's like a kissing booth." He kissed each cheek before holding up the $50 between us. I smiled, putting the monopo-money in the gap between my dress and side with the other stash I had been sneaking from his side. He put a hand on my cheek and rubbed small circles on it. He leaned me closer and it was slow and sweet. He licked my lip for enterance and I was lost in another world. With my eyes closed there was swirling colors that brightened the higher his hand traveled up my side. He found the bit of skin where my dress eneded and started stroking the area. It made my skin instantly gooseflesh and he smirked against my lips. The connection sent my heart racing and I flexed my fingertips into his shoulders. He groaned and broke away.

"Gallagher Girl, I don't think we should be doing this here." While the gameroom was pretty empty, there still were stragglers milling around outside in the hall. I nodded.

"You're right. It's getting kind of late anyway. I was going to stay in one of the extra rooms." He nodded and looked around. "Do you want to stay with me?" He grinned ear to ear and held out his hand for me. I gladly took it and he swooped me up off the floor, twirling me around as we walked towards the doorway.

"Oh wait." He paused and turned quickly and found the skin on my side again and before I knew it the monopo-money was slipping out of the space. My eyes widened at my stash.

"Next time try to hide it a little flatter. You could feel the fold of the money." He grabbed my hand again like he didn't just blow my mind. My mouth opened and closed like a fish, hoping to have a comeback for him.

"It's okay Gallagher Girl. I know I leave you speechless." I let it be and let him guide me around. As we made our way towards the bar area I caught sight of Josh sitting with his arm around DeeDee. He caught my gaze and then looked at Zach before giving a small smile. I returned it when seeing how happy DeeDee looked.

We made our way into the empty room again where all my stuff was. I quickly kicked off my heels and instantly felt them swell up. I didn't realize how tired I was until I saw it was already past 2:00. My feet were tired, my eyes were heavy and now I just wanted to get out of this dress. I tried to reach for the zipped on my back, but I didn't want to stretch.

"Zach. Can you unzip me?"

He took the zipper gingerly only letting his fingers graze my skin. He respected me in ways that I couldn't even imagine. I was undressing in front of him and he made sure not to make any advances. He crossed the room again, digging through his small bag in the corner while I slipped on his t-shirt. I crawled on the bed to where he was sitting.

"I'll never be tired of seeing you in that shirt."

"Good because I think I'll keep it." He turned his head to kiss me lightly. He slid off the edge on to the floor. I looked at him quizzically.

"Um. What are you doing?" He pulled down a pillow.

"Well one other thing I promised your mom. See she was okay for me to stay here as long as I slept on the floor." He made a little area on the ground for him and turned onto his side and I turned off the light. It didn't feel right up here. I heard his rhythmic breathing, but I wanted to feel the rise and fall and hear his heartbeat. So I was feeling brave and grabbed the blanket off the bed and slid right onto the ground.

"Gallagher Girl, what are you doing?" He propped himself up on his elbow and I snuggled into the crook.

"I'm going to sleep." His eyes were wider and he tensed.

"You're mom isn't going to like this."

"You just promised that you would be on the floor. She didn't say anything about where I had to me." He fell back onto the pillow and wrapped his arm around me.

"Okay, well if she finds out, I'm blaming it on you. You are the bad influence in this relationship afterall." I held my hand to my chest.

"Me? I'm not the one with a motorcycle."

"Hey she liked my motorcycle. I think cheating at monopoly is a bad influence." I rolled my eyes.

"Well just call me Cammie the Corrupter then."

 **And that's a wrap for Chapter 38. 38! Never thought I would get here. Thank you so much for all of the support!**


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: Hey guys, so this is a kind of really short filler chapter. Unfortunately this story is coming to an end (2 chapters and an Epilogue). There is more I would always love to add, but the context just wouldn't go, so I might save it for Zach's story. Yes I do plan on writing this from Zach's POV and there may be one more story in the back of my mind. Thank you for all of the support! I really couldn't do this without your encouragement!**

Chapter 39

I awoke to rays of sun streaming across my face. While that isn't always the most pleasant way to wake up, the strong arms around my waist sure was. I tilted my head up and softly kissed his jaw. He turned a little more and tightened his arms around my waist before his eyes opened.

"Good morning." He smiled and kissed my nose.

"Good morning Gallagher Girl. How did you sleep?" I hadn't really dreamed anything, I just remember closing my eyes and then just now opening them.

"Really good actually. What about you?"

"Well I would have but Grant kept texting me." I lifted myself up to look at him squarely.

"Why was Grant texting you?"

"He was keeping a close eye on me and wondering why I was in Virginia and not with Jonas. And then he saw Jonas's marker was in Alabama and things really got wild."

"Wait his marker?" He smirked at me.

"Well at Blackthorne I had a bad habit of disappearing without telling them so they put one of those locaters on each of our phones so we can always see where everyone is."

"And I thought my roommates were bad." He lazily ran his hand through my hair.

"Yeah just imagine how they will be now that we're dating." I tensed but smiled.

"When are we going to tell the others?" He stopped stroking my hair.

"As soon as you're ready."

I kept my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat strong and steady. In this moment things seemed easy. I woke up in the new year with Zach next to me and he was my boyfriend. I would be naïve to think this would last, but as long as at the end of the road we could end just like this, it would all be worth it.

"We should tell them. Tonight." I heard his short laugh.

"Don't most of them know already?" I started thinking and counting on my fingers.

"Well Macey knows, Jonas know so Liz probably knows."

"Grant is about to piece it all together. I stopped replying though." A grave feeling entered my chest.

"And if Grant knows then-" the tone on my phone was like the Jaws theme song. I saw Bex's incoming phone call and contemplated just ignoring it.

"We have to tell Bex." I cringed but waited until the ringing stopped.

"Well you won't be able to telepathically." I looked at the phone like a time bomb.

"I can't. She's going to hate me." The message alert went off for our group message.

 _Bex: Conference. Now._

Macey and Liz responded within a minute and the phone was buzzing again. This time I couldn't ignore it. I leaned against the bed and swiped to answer. Each of their faces filled my screen. Liz and Macey were both glowing, but Bex looked royally pissed off.

"What the hell has happened while I am all the way across the bloody ocean?" Liz squealed and bounced around.

"I got a boyfriend. Say 'hi' Jonas." She looked over her shoulder and Jonas looked at the camera and smiled shyly. "Hi."

"Why didn't you tell us you were talking to him?" Bex was still snapping and Macey rolled her eyes.

"Because they were just friendly talking, Princess. Both were feeling each other but didn't know how to say it and Jonas made the move. She did nothing wrong." I saw Bex take a deep breath but she took that as an acceptable answer.

"Macey what is up with your hair?" She ran a hand through it but did nothing to really fix it. Her smile was too smug and I knew she wanted a way to announce the big news.

"Well Liz didn't do anything wrong but I sure did." She winked at the camera.

"Macey!" Liz gasped.

"Oh come one Lizzie, it was just sex. And he loves me."

"Woah he told you he loves you?" I got up from the floor and ran down the hallway before opening her door.

"He said he loves you?!" I exclaimed and jumped on the bed next to her, abandoning my phone in the other room. The girls sounded like they were as giddy as I was and Macey scooted her phone back so we were both on one screen.

"I'm happy for you Macey, but why is he not still there?" She rolled her eyes.

"He had to leave this morning for a New Years breakfast with the governor." Macey gave me a side eye and poked me in the ribs.

"I don't think that's the only news we have to share, is it Cameron?" My heart was beating a mile a minute now, but this was what I needed to do.

"Yeah… um, I kind of have a boyfriend now."

"Cameron Ann Morgan! I will bloody kill you if you don't tell me who it is!" I tried to laugh thinking about how all of this sounded to Zach with my phone in that room.

"Okay… um if you're listening to this, do you want to pick up the phone?" It took a few seconds but the screen from my phone finally landed on Zach and he smirked.

"Zach! You're dating Zach?!" Bex exclaimed but I saw Liz clapping.

"I bloody knew it! I knew you liked each other but you just wouldn't admit it!" Bex was still yelling but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Just a lot of emotion at once.

"Oh put a sock in it. We all knew this day would come once they got their head out of their asses." I saw Zach laugh nervously so I left Macey to go join him. He was still sitting on the ground so I crawled in the space between his leg and he put his arms around me. I looked at the phone again and Jonas and Liz were both looking now.

"Way to go man. It's about time." Jonas gave Zach a thumbs up.

"Same to you." Jonas smiled and kissed Liz on the cheek, making her cheeks turn cherry red.

"Woah woah woah. There is so much going on right now." Bex shook her head back and forth. "Everyone is completely happy right now and all of this happened overnight?"

"Well everyone except you and Grant. He misses you. We all miss you." She smiled but then shook her head again.

"I miss you guys too, but I will be back in a week. I just want to get this straight. Liz and Jonas are now together in Alabama. And Cammie and Zach are now together in Virginia."

"Way to piece it together genius" Macey commented.

"This is huge! I can't believe this is happening!" For the first time she smiled ear to ear.

"Okay well are you done then. I kind of would like to get some breakfast with my boyfriend now." Zach pulled me closer to him and kissed the space between my shoulder and neck.

"Sure breakfast." Bex winked but then grimaced. "Okay, yeah I don't want to see your PDA." My jaw almost fell off.

"Our PDA! We had to watch you and Grant all over the place!" Zach laughed behind me and took my phone.

"Okay, have a great day you guys. See you in a week." He ended the call and smiled at me.

"Well that was easy." I smiled back.

"It could have been worse." I leaned forward and kissed him, I mean really kissed him. He smiled before eagerly reciprocating the kiss. For once I didn't feel any guilt inside of me. Everyone knew now, well mostly. And I was confident in how I felt. And that made all of the difference. He had always been a good kisser but I felt it everywhere.

We broke the kiss, breathing heavily with hazy eyes.

"Were you serious about getting breakfast?" I was, but after kissing him that was all I wanted to do.

"Yeah, we can." He put his finger under my chin and lifted it so we were level again.

"Or we could keep doing this for a little while." He kissed me lightly, waiting for my response.

"Yeah." I kissed him again. "We could do this."

And the kiss that followed chased all thoughts of breakfast out of my mind.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: Happy holidays everyone! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's a little less fluffy, but cute nonetheless. After this chapter, there's one more full chapter and an epilogue. I'm getting sad but also I'm really excited to start on Zach's POV of this. Enjoy!**

Chapter 40

"I can't believe you gave pancakes such a bad name for so long." He was helping me off his motorcycle, which proved to be quite difficult when wearing a dress.

"I have changed my ways." I smoothed out the skirt of my dress so it wasn't bunched up, making it even shorter. Luckily Zach gave me his coat to cover my bare shoulders. He took hold of my hand again as we walked towards the front doors of Gallagher.

"Yeah but you had that level of pancakes at your disposal and you're saying you've never had those?" I felt myself blush.

"Well you see I've never been to Magnolia before." He stopped suddenly and if the ice had rolled through the night before we both would've fallen to the ground.

"What? You've lived in Roseville for how many years and had some of the best pancakes at your fingertips and you've never even attempted to taste them?"

"Well I never really go out for breakfast. Chef Louise makes a great breakfast during the school year." He shook his head in disbelief as we made our way up the few stairs. His hand was on the door knob and my stomach dropped. I was about to take a boy home for the first time in a year. And that didn't really count because mom already knew Josh, being headmistress and all.

"What's wrong?" My jaw didn't want to work and I just stared at the door.

"I don't know. This is just a big deal I guess." He took both of my hands in his and leaned closer.

"It doesn't need to be. I've already met your mom, remember." I bit my lip remembering how she held him hostage last night. That made the dread grow inside of me. She had talked to him without me there and I had no idea what she told him.

"I'm sorry. I hope she didn't make you uncomfortable." He smirked at me.

"It takes a lot to make me uncomfortable, Gallagher Girl." I stood on my tiptoes to give him a quick kiss before opening the doors and meeting our fate.

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"I must say, I'm glad Cammie could get over the whole dryer thing." Mom sat in her office chair sipping on hot tea, looking comfortable as ever. The mention of the dryer made my pulse race and send a quick glare up at Zach.

"No mom, I'm still not over that." Zach smirked and threw his arm over my shoulder pulling me into his side.

"Come on Gallagher Girl. That was months ago. I thought you've forgiven me for that." I crossed my arms and tried to look pissed but my smile finally broke.

"Well I'm still not happy about it, but if it lead me here then I can't really be mad."

"Well Zach, I'm glad you could make it here for New Years. I was tired of seeing Cammie moping around." My jaw dropped.

"I was not moping!" Mom sent me a look that told me not to argue.

"She was moping all break. This is the first time I've seen her really smile in a week." My cheeks warmed another ten degrees as my mother continued to embarrass me.

"Joe said the same thing about me." Mom's eyebrows scrunched together.

"Is Joe your father?" Zach stiffened next to me.

"No, but he practically raised me. I never knew my father."

"I'm so sorry." She held so much sadness in her tone. I'm sure she's had enough practice in the past five years, but it was almost foreign coming from her mouth.

"It's okay. I'm just lucky to have him. He was happy to see me." She smiled at him then at me.

"I'm happy to see both of you. Now what do you kids have planned for today?"

"I have to be back at school by the third for soccer practice, but I was hoping to take your daughter out on a proper date before leaving tonight." This took me by surprise. I didn't really consider how long he would be staying, but I was hoping longer than 24 hours.

"Well, I'll let you two enjoy your day. I have to make sure everything is ready to come back to school." She grabbed a few files from her desk and started toward the door.

"It was great seeing you Zach. If I don't see you before you leave, drive safe."

"Thank you Mrs. Morgan. It was great meeting you." He stood to shake her hand and she gave it a firm shake but paired it with a soft smile. Pausing before completely leaving to look at us, taking a snapshot in her mind.

The door closed and I snapped.

"You're leaving tonight?" He shrugged.

"Yeah. I try to get back to school a few days early to make sure I'm settled in. Besides, Lucas will be back on tomorrow and someone has to be prepared to look after him." I buried my head into his shoulder and gripped his shirt, holding onto him a little tighter.

"But you just got here." I felt the vibration of his laugh and he rubbed circles on my back.

"I got here last night. And that still doesn't stop the fact that soccer starts in two days and I need to be ready." I looked up to see his eyes light up at the mention of soccer.

"You're going to do great." I saw the nervousness in his eyes though.

"I don't know Cam. I'm not really expecting much, it will just be great to actually start playing again."

"Zach, you were the star at Blackthorne and they gave you a scholarship," I gave him a knowing look and he tried to shake it off. "They want you. You're going to get some playing time." He groaned and looked around the room. I held his face between my hands and made him look at me.

"Hey. You're good and they know that. And I'll be happily sitting in the bleachers at every game cheering you on." He finally smiled and his gaze flickered down to my lips so I closed the gap.

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"Seriously, how much more do you have planned on this date?" He looked at me innocently.

"What do you mean?"

"Well we started this date at four with a movie, we just had a great dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant and now it's eight. How much more could you have planned if you are leaving tonight?"

"What's dinner without a little dessert?" He held open the door to the doo wop diner that serves subpar burgers, but pretty great milkshakes.

"Are you sure you will be okay driving this late?" He sent me a cocky smirk.

"I seem to remember driving at two in the morning with someone to get a milkshake. I'll be fine."

The waitress came to take our order and Zach reached into his pocket for his wallet and the sudden panic settled over him.

"Shit. I think I left my wallet at the restaurant."

"It's okay. I'll pay for it." He grinned but shook his head.

"I appreciate it Gallagher Girl, but I'm still going to need to get it. I'll be right back." He kissed me on the cheek and when he opened the door a frigid breeze rattled the bells by the door. The weather had been getting worse by the minute. It was bitterly cold out but now there was a biting wind. It was supposed to snow the night before, but I think it might be delayed. Is it wrong for me to hope that it would snow so Zach would stay?

The waitress slid our milkshakes in front of me and even though it would be polite to wait for Zach, a milkshake always demands immediate attention. Every few minutes I would look over my shoulder to see any sign of Zach, but all I saw was trash swirling in the howling wind. About half way through my shake I heard the bells rattle again and turned expecting to see Zach, but finding a completely different boy instead. He had his coat pulled tight around him but I still knew who he was. So like any good ex girlfriend I tried to duck and hide.

"Sorry Janine. Can I duck in here a minute, the storm is really picking up."

"Sure thing sweetie. Do you want some coffee?" I wanted to yell at Janine, but she was just being hospitable. So of course Josh made his way to the bar stool at the end of the counter but then he turned to look down the counter.

"Cammie?" I thought about how likely it would be that I pretended I wasn't Cammie, but Josh always knew me. So I pulled my head up and wiped my face, praying there wasn't any milkshake on it.

"Josh," I said curtly. He looked down at his hands in front of him.

"Funny I keep running into you." His eyes didn't show the same amusement that his words led on.

There was a silence covering us like a blanket, the only sound came from the jukebox in the corner.

"Did you enjoy the rest of the party?" His fingers tightened around his coffee cup. I shouldn't have brought it up, but I couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Um… yeah. I made up with DeeDee." A year ago just hearing her name made my blood boil, but now I felt relief. The smile on my face was genuine.

"That's great."

"Yeah. I wanted to apologize… for the way everything turned out." I wasn't sure what he was apologizing for. For the way he approached me at the party? For getting together with DeeDee so soon after? Or just for being here right now?

"Oh. Um it's okay." It sounded more like a question, but I wasn't really sure how I should respond anymore. Before I always knew what to say. There was always anger or humiliation. Any emotion, but now I didn't really feel anything. Is this what closure feels like?

"I just feel bad about everything. I promise I never imagined I would get together with DeeDee so soon after we broke up. She was just there for me and I never realized it." Why was he bearing his soul to me?

"Josh. You don't have to do this." I shook my head trying to get him to stop.

"No I really do. I was a jerk. I never meant for you to hurt and I just wasn't thinking. I'm sorry and I hope things won't be weird at Georgetown." A shiver ran down my spine. I hoped it was from the cold outside, seeping into the little diner.

"Look, I don't want to say this but it's not going to be easy. I hope you can understand that I won't be joining you in the dining hall or running to catch up with you on the Quad. Things aren't the same Josh and I think you know that." He looked down into his coffee cup keeping his eyes trained on the liquid.

"You're right. I didn't really expect any of that I just want things to be okay again." He finally looked up at me, but his eyes got stuck looking at Zach's milkshake.

"I'm sorry. Are you here with someone?"

"Yes. He left his wallet at La Maches and I guess he's waiting out the storm." Josh nodded his head solemnly.

"I'm happy for you." I gave him a soft smile.

"Thank you." He looked around the diner and he started laughing to himself.

"You know this is where we came on our first date." It was hard to forget that. We were interrupted by Dillon and DeeDee and Josh practically dragged me out of the place. It was bittersweet being here with Josh again, but this time I knew I would be sitting with someone who wouldn't worry about being seen.

"Yeah. That seems like a decade ago." He met my eyes one last time before looking out the door.

"Well it looks like the worst of the storm is over. I'll let you get back to your date." I stirred my shake around before taking a long sip.

"Maybe I'll see you around campus." He looked hopeful, like we really could be friends again and I for one didn't want to crush it so quickly.

"Yeah. Maybe."

After he left, the bells rang out a minute later. I turned and this time I smiled at the boy at the door.

"Sorry, the storm got pretty bad for a while."

"Yeah it did."

Zach stirred up his partially melted shake as I finished mine.

"So I was thinking…" He trailed off and my heart started racing. Those words were seldom followed by something good. "Since the whole road is covered with snow and ice. Do you think I could stay?" Zach had always been an exception.

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It was getting close to ten by the time we made it back. I was glad we decided to take my car instead of his motorcycle. While the storm had stopped, I still worried about the ice on the road.

"I had a good time in Roseville." Zach sounded genuinely surprised.

"What? You didn't think I could show you a good time?" He stopped me on the stairs and rest his hands on my waist and a devious smirk graced his lips.

"I know you can show me a good time." My heart started racing and I started stammering.

"Well… I thought that I could… um… it was fun-"

"Gallagher Girl," he cut off my stutters that would never form a full sentence.

"Yes."

"I'm going to kiss you now." His lips burned against mine and his fingers dug into my hips. I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaving no space between us. When he pulled away we were both breathing heavily.

"Good night Gallagher Girl." He walked up the last three steps and turned towards one of the rooms in the East Wing. I held on to the railing until my legs decided to function.

I walked back to my room in a daze. I was already changed and flossing my teeth before I realized what I was doing. I was laying down and tossed and turned for a minute.

"I'm not going to sleep." I tore off my covers and quietly made my way down the hallway, not really thinking before knocking on the door. Not really thinking as the door open, I just threw my arms around his neck and kept my lips on his.

Was it bold? Yes. Was it reckless? Probably. My mom did sleep just one hallway away afterall. But I didn't think. I just felt and nothing was going to stop the way I felt in this moment.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: This is the last full chapter, and it's a long one with a little everything. I can't believe I actually got this far and I really couldn't have done it without you guys! The epilogue should be posted by Sunday (maybe Saturday) and that's when my tears will be flowing because I actually completed a full story. Thank you so much again! I love you guys so much!**

Chapter 41

"Are you sure the roads will be safe today?" I watched as Zach finished packing his backpack of clothes, but I was hoping he would stop and say he would stay.

"I don't know, but I have to go today. Practice starts tomorrow morning." He looked around the room for anything he might have forgotten but there was nothing. He was always so neat and orderly and one night in this room wouldn't have made a difference. I pulled my knees to my chest and hoped my heart wouldn't feel like it was breaking.

"Will you at least stay for breakfast?"

"Of course. I want to thank your mom for letting me stay."

I hopped off the bed and peeked outside the door to make sure my mom wasn't in the hallway and I slipped out with Zach behind me.

"Gallagher Girl, are you trying to sneak around?" I turned on him quickly.

"Shh! Keep it down," I whispered to him and continued my quiet movements towards the Grand Hall. We were almost clear and heading down the stairs, but nothing is ever that easy.

"Hey kiddo." I stopped dead in my tracks and jumped back, running into Zach.

"Oh I didn't mean to startle you," she looked apologetic but I knew there was something deeper. Afterall I had been caught sneaking through the halls with Zach and mothers don't ever let that slide.

"We were just going to have breakfast before Zach goes back to school."

"Well let's get going. Has Cammie told you about the waffles?" He smirked at me before following my mom into the Grand Hall.

"She has. I've heard they're the best waffles in the world."

I felt the awkward tension as we all sat at the table that only comes when you've been caught in a compromising situation. But Zach and my mother seemed immune to it and it was only me that felt weird. I knew it had to come up, but we had been sitting and eating for ten minutes and there was no mention of it.

"So Zach, did you sleep okay?" Zach looked at me out of the corner of his eye and smirked.

"I did. Thank you for letting me stay. I really enjoyed it." Mom cut into her last bit of waffle.

"And Cammie, did you sleep well? I know the beds in the East Wing are a little different for yours." I stopped chewing but mom just casually took a bite of her waffle. Zach tried not to laugh next to me and he was doing a horrible job.

"Mom I-" She waved her hand and shook her head.

"I don't want to hear it. I know this isn't the first time, but I do ask that when you stay here, you keep to your separate beds." I felt the heat rising in my cheeks that was partially due to the embarrassment of this moment and partially from Zach's hand resting on my knee. And climbing higher.

"I'm sorry about that Mrs. Morgan. I promise it won't happen again." She smiled at Zach.

"Oh I don't blame you kiddo. I know my daughter sometimes has lapses in judgment. And I seem to remember you were there for her during a few of them. So thank you for that." I felt about two inches tall and wanted to disappear from that table.

"Come on mom, you can't tell me you never snuck around to see your boyfriend." She had a sly smile on her face.

"I never got caught."

And just when I thought my mom couldn't get any cooler.

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It was still cold outside when we made our way to Zach's motorcycle.

"Well I guess this is it." He breathed out and instantly fogged the air. So I smirked.

"You know it's going to be really cold on that motorcycle." He was rubbing his hands together already preparing.

"Yeah. I know." He looked out at the expanse of white surrounding the sides of the roads. I wrapped my arms around him, soaking up the warmth one last time.

Zach's arms wrapped me up close to him and I felt a kiss on the top of my head. We stood in the cold, wrapped up in each other for another couple of minutes, not saying a word.

"What day are you coming to school?" It was a good question, one I didn't really think about.

"I'm not sure. I guess I was going to head back this Sunday." He held my face in his hands.

"Sunday. That's so far away." I hadn't really thought of how far away that was until now. He looked at me like he really didn't want to go and I totally knew the feeling. We didn't need words for how we felt, so I placed my lips on his. And that was all that mattered. His lips were warm on mine and his hand tangled in my hair. Then he pulled away.

"What if you didn't leave on Sunday?" I looked at him like he was crazy.

"What are you saying?"

"What if you left today? With me." I couldn't think of a reason why I couldn't. Well besides that I already cut my time with my mom short.

"I don't know. My mom-"

"Is already busy getting ready for the start of the semester. Come on Cammie, would she really miss four days without you?" I weighed the options in my mind.

"Okay. I'll go with you."

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"It's getting late." We had been watching Netflix for the past three hours on the couch and I could see Zach's eyes were getting heavy.

"Yeah. And you need to wake up early." He sighed at the reminder.

"Do you want to stay?" I looked at him squarely.

"I thought you promised my mom that we would keep to our separate beds." He arched his eyebrow and smirked.

"That's only when we are staying with your mom. I didn't promise anything here."

"You know if my mom heard you, she would see what a bad influence you are." He smirked at me and flipped us so he was on top of me.

"I'm not all bad Gallagher Girl." He brushed a stray hair away from my face and I bit my lip.

"I don't know if you're all good either."

"Sweetheart, my last name is Goode." I scrunched up my nose.

"Oh yeah? Prove it." His eyes clouded over before his lips seared into mine. I snaked my arms around his shoulders, feeling his tense muscles. His fingers burned into my hips with his thumb rubbing small circles at the waistline of my jeans. He was slow and soaking in every touch of skin and climbing up my ribs. His thumb stroked the underside of my bra and he froze before pulling back.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to…" he trailed off. I propped myself up on my elbows and slipped off my shirt. He looked over my body with wide eyes.

"Cammie, are you sure?" His eyes were filled with lust when he met my eyes again.

"I'm sure." He smiled ear to ear and I pulled him down by his shirt collar. His lips trailed down my neck until he reached my collar bone. When his teeth grazed my skin I hissed and dug my nails into his shirt. I wanted to feel the skin on skin so I started pulling it over his head. He leaned back enough and pulled it all the way off and then it was my turn to stare in awe. Of course I had seen him shirtless before, but it felt different now. He lowered back down and went back to my collar bone, his fingers light as a feather against my straps. He brushed one away and kissed my shoulder. I was already in heaven feeling every muscle. I didn't think it could get any better but his other hand was trailing to the button on my jeans, swiftly undoing them. I wrapped one leg around him ready for the next step. My heart was racing, but then it started racing for another reason. The lock on the door turned and we were scrambling quickly on the couch to get covered.

"Hey Za- holy shit!" Lucas dropped is keys and stared wide eyed at the scene. I tried burying my face in Zach's bare chest, but even though he did his best to hide me, nothing could hide the fact that we were both shirtless.

"Geeze Zach, you could've given me a warning." Zach was reaching his arm out for my discarded shirt on the ground.

"I could've said the same." It came out almost as a growl. I looked to see Lucas give a laugh in disbelief.

"I'm sorry. I thought the whole, 'Hey Zach, I'll be home tonight' was warning enough. I didn't think I would see Cammie in a black bra on the couch." Zach draped my shirt over me but it was already too late so I buried my face in it instead.

"Hey Lucas. Good to see you." He put a hand over his eyes and started walking forward.

"Yeah, I just didn't think I would see that much of you. Hey congrats on the new relationship, just take it to your room please." He ran into his door and reached around for the knob.

"Good night Lucas." He stuck his head out of the door, still with his eyes covered.

"Good night. Please remember that there is someone else here and the walls are not very thick." He shuddered and Zach threw the pillow at him.

I sat up on the couch with my head buried in my hands, rubbing my temples. I looked over and saw Zach doing the same.

"Okay, so that wasn't really what I had planned to see the guys again." Zach looked up and I knew he was smirking.

"You mean you didn't want to greet the guys in your black lace bra?" I smacked him on his arm and he just started laughing. Eventually I had to join him.

"Oh my god! Get a room!" Lucas's shout came through the door and Zach stood up offering his hand to me.

"We should probably get some sleep. You have to wake up early for practice anyway." He kept hold of my hand and pulled me to his chest, resting his hand very low on my waist. He leaned in close enough to reach my ear.

"Come on Gallagher Girl. The last thing you want to do is sleep right now." His breath sent heat into my cheeks but I shivered. I swallowed hard and looked up at his dark eyes dancing with light.

"I… I think we should probably… probably get some sleep."

"If that's what you want."

 _No!_

"It's probably for the best." He lifted my hand and kissed the fingers lightly.

"As you wish."

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I smelled coffee brewing instantly, and there is no better alarm clock than the smell of fresh coffee. I turned to see Zach wasn't next to me anymore but I had a hunch he was already making coffee. I jumped out of bed with one of his shirts and followed the smell.

"Something smells good," I announced before I cleared the corner, and that was a mistake. Lucas jumped and his eyes went wide.

"Dammit Camster." he turned away and focused on the coffee that was spilled. I just tried pulling the shirt him down more to cover my legs better.

"Sorry, I didn't check the time and I thought you were Zach." I back peddled down the hall and found some sweats to throw on. When I came back out Lucas was sitting stiffly on the couch.

"Well Camster, it's great to see you." He forced a smile as I took the chair next to him.

"Lucas I'm sorry again for that. I swear it won't be happening anymore, I've just been caught up in the last few days being by ourselves." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"It's fine. Just kind of surprised me." He gave a half laugh before finally making eye contact. "Not that I should be surprised. I guess we all knew Zach liked you from the beginning but he wouldn't admit it. And now he's making out with you in our dorm."

I guess we had come a long way since the beginning. But it wasn't just my relationship with Zach that has evolved. I looked at the boy who flirted relentlessly with me, and now he turns away from any sign of showing skin.

"How was your break, Lucas?" He finally showed his too-easy grin that I had come to love.

"Good. Really good." There was more to the story, I was sure.

"And how did it go with…" I trailed off realizing I didn't know her name.

"Beth. She's good. We talked a lot over break." I pulled my chair closer and rested my elbows on my knees ready to hear the whole story. He laughed and shook his head slightly.

"I don't know. When we both got into town we met for dinner and it went really well."

"Did you kiss her?" He shook his head.

"Not then. We had been talking but I felt like we were still in limbo. She didn't know if she wanted to risk it again." There had to be a happy ending.

"And did she decide?" He smiled wider now.

"Yes she did. And… she's ready to give it another shot." I actually squealed with excitement and got up to hug him around the neck.

"I'm so excited for you." He hugged me back then.

"And I'm excited for you. I can't believe Zachy actually did it. How did it happen?" I settled back in on the couch.

"Well… I guess it first started in Miami."

"In Miami! What? How? How did I not pick up on that?"

"Alright, I'm going to need some coffee before I tell this story."

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The whistle blew two sharp chirps and all the boys gathered up on the sidelines. The coach was looking over a clipboard and using a lot of hand motions, probably the first practice pep talk. After a few minutes the guys started clapping and most started walking towards the locker room, clapping each other on the back. But Zach stayed behind talking to the coach. It went on for about five minutes before I saw the coach nod his head a few times and clap Zach on the shoulder. When Zach turned to look up in the bleachers I saw his smile. I moved to the bottom of the bleachers as he jogged the rest of the way over and picked me up, spinning me around.

"Well someone's in a good mood." He stopped and I had rarely seen him smile so wide.

"I'm going to get to start." I pecked him hard and fast on the lips.

"That's great Zach!"

"Yeah, but that's not the only bit of good news." I laughed in disbelief.

"What other good news could there be?" He looked at me with that i-know-something-you-don't smile.

"Well I talked to the coach after practice. You know we have some pretty shitty trainers and all."

"Zach!" He kept talking like I didn't say anything.

"And I told him I knew a pretty good one that would love the experience." I stood there without a thing to say. Was he saying what I think he's saying?

"So it took a little convincing, but he's going to talk with the trainer's coordinator and they're going to give you a call to ask for your shirt size."

"Zach, are you saying what I think?"

"I'm saying, I'm looking at the newest trainer for the Georgetown male soccer team. Required to attend 90% of the games." I threw my arms around him and gave him another hard kiss.

"I can't believe this! I thought I had to be a junior before I could be a trainer!" He smirked that same cocky grin I have grown used to.

"Well I just told him the truth. There's no one else like you." He dipped down to kiss me again. It was slow and sweet, and utterly perfect.

"Well as the newest trainer, I should make sure you've had a proper cool down. Race you back to the dorms." I took off before he could even register my words. I heard his strides behind me and getting closer. I knew I could outrun him, I've had a lot of practice. I looked make to make sure he was real, he wasn't just a ghost that would always haunt me. A tail I would always be trying to outrun. But when he smiled and pumped his arms faster, I knew I wouldn't have to try to out run them alone.


	42. Epilogue

**A/N: And just like that, it's over. 42 Chapters! There's still so much I want to put but it will have to wait for Zach's POV. I'm not sure if I'll be able to start posting for Zach's until around February. I promise it will happen, but until then check out my one-shot series! Thanks for being amazing!**

Epilogue

 _Venice, Italy in June_

The hotel ballroom held nothing but warm feelings, a guitar strumming, a couple dancing with about 20 people watching in awe. Sure it was a small wedding, but Abigail Cameron-Vega had the eye of every single person in the room. Her sleek dress shimmered under the lights as Alejandro twirled her around and I had never seen my aunt smile brighter than when he pressed his forehead against hers and kissed her. Even mom stopped taking pictures to swoon at the sight. But I just leaned my head on the shoulder of the boy next to me.

"I can't believe it. Abby actually got married."

"Yeah she married her 'just friend'. Very few people make it out of that limbo." I smiled up at him.

"We did." His eyes lit up and he kissed me softly.

I heard applause and looked to see Abby and Alejandro walking hand in hand to mingle with their guests. The guitarist started up another song and Zach took my hand pulling me toward the center of the room.

We swayed and when he spun me we seamlessly continued dancing. We've come a far way since the beach in Miami. I was more confident in my moves and we were in sync.

"Are you having a good time?" He smiled and dipped me.

"I don't know. I'm in Italy dancing with my girlfriend, who looks stunning by the way." He winked at me and I still blushed. "I think I'm having the time of my life."

The song slowed and I rested my head on his chest. In this moment everything was perfect.

"I'm really glad you invited me, Cam."

"Well Abby felt really bad about being away for my birthday, so her present was a little upgraded this year. And I think she just wanted you here to see her in all her glory." I looked over at my Aunt who was laughing and spinning around with my mom.

"They really like you." Zach smirked at me.

"It's because I'm a good influence." I tiptoed up to next to his ear.

"You weren't very good last night." He kept me close enough and his lips were light on my neck.

"I remember." His voice was gruff and sent goosebumps on my arms.

"You're not being very good right now either." He rubbed a hand up and down my arms, ridding me of goosebumps.

"But you're not stopping me either." His eyes were dark looking into mine and the room felt too hot and crowded now. I took his hand and walked backwards away from the party. Zach's hand was on my back as we made it through the lobby to the elevator. We shared a sly smile as we climbed inside and watched the doors close. The instant it was shut Zach picked me up and pushed me against the elevator wall. I was already working on unbuttoning his shirt, a task most difficult when every other second you're joined at the lips. Zach took the flower from my hair and slowly my hair was falling down. I looked at the floor count and we had two left. Why was this elevator so long?

Finally the doors opened into my room and had his face in my hands.

"Surprise!" We jolted to a stop and stared wide eyed at the sight of all of our friends standing in my room.

"Geeze, I would say get a room but I guess that was your purpose." I was speechless. I felt like a kid caught sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar. Glancing up at Zach, I could tell he felt the same.

Finally Liz pushed forward, "Were you surprised?" I heard Bex scoff.

"Of course they are, Lizzie. They still can't speak." I shook my head trying to find words inside of it.

"What are you guys doing here? In Italy? In my room?"

Macey cocked an eyebrow, "You're not the only one close to Abby. And I couldn't pass up a trip to Venice." My eyebrows scrunched together.

"Buy I didn't see you guys during the ceremony." Everyone glared at Nick.

"Yeah. We. Know." Nick held his hands up in surrender.

"I kind of left one of my bags on Macey's jet and we had to go back to the airfield."

The shock finally wore off so I rushed forward to hug them all.

"It's so good to see you guys!"

"You too, just a little too much. Dammit Camster, you said this wouldn't happen anymore." Lucas shook his head looking between Zach and I. Zach just wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Not our fault this time, Lucas. We didn't know you would be up here."

"Well we won't be for long." David checked his watch and fell back into his team captain role. "They're cutting the cake in ten minutes and you guys need to pack." I looked around the group for some type of hint.

"What are we packing for?"

"Well Cam some people didn't want to fly all the way to Europe just for one night, so we kind of have a trip in mind. So hurry up and pack. Once the party is over we were going to stay at he Embassy. Preston got us a connection there." I shared a look with Zach and he was smiling, but I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"I'm going to stay here tonight. I need to help my mom finish with the party and it's already paid for." I saw Bex, Liz and Macey all share a skeptical glance.

"Okay. But we want to leave at seven. First stop is Rome." I've always wanted to go to Rome.

"I need to think about it." There was a groan and a mumble of complaints. I made out a few, "Come on Cam", and "Get packed now". But I held my hand up to silence them.

"Guys, I need to think. Go downstairs and enjoy the party." They looked at each other reluctantly but nodded and made their way to the elevator, leaving me and Zach to decide. It was too quiet so I walked to the balcony just to hear some sounds from the street.

"What's going on in that mind of yours?" I took a deep breath trying to focus my thoughts.

"I don't know." He leaned against the rail waiting for me to crack. "I don't know. I just feel like I'm abandoning my mom."

"Gallagher Girl, I think your mom would understand. She went backpacking through Europe."

"Yeah, but things were different for her. She still needs me." He took both hands in mine.

"Cam she's going to miss you. But she would want this for you. It's time to live your life."

I stared off into the distance. We were in Venice but the rest of the world was calling me. Zach was right, I had been guarding my decisions for too long. Keeping my decisions safe, going to the college an hour from home, always making sure my mom would be okay.

"Come on they're about to cut the cake."

He didn't ask for my final decision. He just took my hand in his and we went back downstairs.  
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I couldn't sleep that night. I spent hours just tossing and turning in my sheets as Zach slept peacefully next to me. I told myself it was because of the extra slice of cake that I had at the end of the night, but I knew my mind had other things plaguing it besides sugar. I didn't talk to my mom about this trip yet. I knew I needed to, to at least see her opinion about it, but I did all I could to avoid the conversation.

I had to talk about it. I slipped out of bed quietly and swiped the card to take me one floor higher. When the doors opened with a ding, I saw mom jump up in her bed.

"It's just me." She relaxed and turned the lamp on next to her.

"What's wrong kiddo? Are you okay?" I sat at the end of her bed and took a deep breath.

"You know how all of the gang is here right?"

"Yes." She seemed to weigh my words carefully.

"Well, they want to take a trip around Europe." Mom smiled at that.

"That will be fun. Have they made hotel reservations or anything."

"No, but between Preston and Macey they have connections all over Europe."

"Well that would be the best way to see Europe. No one is spending thousands of dollars on flights and hotels."

"So you think it's a good idea?" She narrowed her eyes, waiting for the catch.

"Yes."

"Would you be okay with me going with them?" She pursed her lips and was silent for ten seconds.

"I think it would be a great experience." I hugged her instantly. "What is that for kiddo?"

"I wasn't sure if you would say yes. And I didn't realize how much I wanted to go until now." She stroked my hair.

"I'm glad you asked for my permission, but you're an adult now. You have to learn to trust your judgment. Be spontaneous every now and then." I gave a half laugh.

"I don't think I know how to be spontaneous. I've been taking the safe route my whole life." She pulled away and held my cheeks in her hand. I felt tears ready to spill but she was already wiping them away.

"You're so grown up kiddo. It's time you have a life of your own." I hugged her again.

"I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, but when you get back I'll be ready to hear all the stories." We were in a comfortable silence, mom stroking my hair and a few tears still slipping down my cheeks.

"Where are you going first?"

"Macey said we were going to Rome." I saw mom light up and she was thinking about her own experiences.

"Well while you're there make sure to have some gelato. It will change your life." She was talking on about what places were good and what to avoid. I had never heard my mom so alive as she was then. That's when another piece of the puzzle fell together. My mom loved to travel and she would always be glowing for weeks after a trip with my dad. Maybe I was a little like my mother after all. I would come back with stories to tell and be wiser from my travels.

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It was five by the time I left my mom's room to go back to my own. Zach was stirring a little, so I tried to pack as quietly as I could. I must not have done a great job because one I came out of the bathroom with my tooth brush and shampoo, Zach was sitting straight up.

"What are you going up so early?" I smiled and dropped my things in my suitcase.

"I guess I should get packing if we're leaving in two hours." He smiled and jumped out of bed to his own suitcase.

"So we're going?"

"I've always wanted to see Rome. I heard it's a good place to fall in love." He circled my waist and looked down at me.

"I'm already in love with you." I smirked at him.

"But now we can be in love with gelato."

"Be careful. Your first taste of gelato and you might not want to leave it." I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Then we'll just have to come back." He kissed me hard and fast.

"Let's go."


End file.
